


The Mask Shatters

by Coconut_of_Doom



Category: Persona 5, Persona Series
Genre: Action, Action & Romance, Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Persona 5 American Foreign Exchange Student, Drama, Drama & Romance, Eventual Happy Ending, Eventual Romance, F/M, Family Drama, Family Issues, Fights, High School, Historical References, Japan, Japanese Culture, Japanese Mythology & Folklore, Magic, Manga & Anime, Mythology References, Original Character has a Palace, Original Character-centric, Persona 5 Spoilers, Psychological Drama, Romance, Sad, Supernatural Elements, Symbolism, Teen Romance, Teenage Drama, Video & Computer Games
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-30
Updated: 2021-02-22
Packaged: 2021-03-07 22:21:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 76,859
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26725090
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Coconut_of_Doom/pseuds/Coconut_of_Doom
Summary: When a foreign exchange student, plagued by home troubles, arrives in Tokyo and begins experiencing weird, vivid dreams, he finds himself caught up in a game that a certain someone has almost no chance of winning.
Relationships: Niijima Makoto/Original Character(s), Niijima Makoto/Original Male Character(s)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 16





	1. Prologue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Heheh, and so here we are. Let us form a contract…"

Fate is a cruel mistress.

She can be damning.

She can be unforgivable.

And at times, she can be a shrewd executioner.

Many lives are held in her grip at any given moment in time.

But if her grip loosens, and a life plummets, it ends.

Whether it be by circumstance, karma, or sheer taste…

No one will be spared by Fate.

But at times, there are those whose destiny can be changed.

Whose fate can be stemmed from its inevitable fall.

These individuals, I refer to as Tricksters.

The individuals with the power to rise up against their fate and take it into their own hands.

To change their own destiny.

To fail ruin in its infancy.

To wield a power beyond the comprehension of the masses, and use it to change fate for the better.

These individuals I, myself, am destined to aid.

To see their growth in person.

To watch their rebellion sprout.

To witness their brave stand against Fate herself.

But at times…

Certain individuals of the public catch my attention.

For one reason or another…

Their predicament - their fate - becomes a concern to even myself.

I can feel pity.

But at the same time…

I know when an individual, completely unrelated to those I train, can thwart the destiny Fate has in store for them.

With a little guidance…

And with a little patience…

They could become an excellent thief…

A promising rebel…

And most importantly…

An extraordinary wielder of the power that is called Persona.


	2. Chapter 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "The game has already begun… Why don't we add another variable?"

_It was a dreary day._

_Rain pelted the ground around him._

_The thin grass swayed in the wind and the mud, not dirt, squished beneath his shoes with each step. It was an audible wetness, and one that didn't make the sound of his own thoughts._

_He kept his eyes to the dirt as he walked up the yard, heading for the house that stood in its middle. Surrounded by trees, a tire swing on one, a hammock on another. Behind him a dirt road with a couple other students rushing to get to the respective homes._

_Sure, it was a trailer. But to him, it was home._

_But would he really want to be here?_

_The bus had dropped him off. Without a word he departed and had walked away from the few other students who got off. He knew what awaited him at home. His happiness to be away from it all drained with each step forward._

_To add injury to the whole situation, he was soaked. He didn't bring an umbrella either. His thin framed glasses were wet with dribblets of water as it obscured his vision to a good degree. He could've wiped it off but what would be the point at the moment?_

_As long as he could still see the house, he could make progress in the pouring rain._

_The few friends at his school didn't show up today, playing hooky and avoiding their education like real delinquents. He stopped himself with that word dangling in his mind and took it back, knowing he had no right to call his friends such._

_He knew as good as anyone that a nice day off was something everyone needed._

_A day off was something he needed._

_But not from school._

_Instead from his day to day life._

_He continued onwards, stepping up a small set of stairs onto a scratched deck, coats of old paint still clinging to the wood and rotting chairs sitting off to the side. They haven't been used in years._

_He could see them inside. Fighting. Again._

_Yelling._

_Arguing._

_The man was screaming how he works all day to support a failing family full of slackers._

_The woman screams they wouldn't be in this mess if he hadn't gotten her pregnant_

_She blamed him for the death of their daughter._

_He blamed her for the instability._

_The thin walls of the trailer did little to stop any words from seeping into the rainy world outside._

_But the kid just sullenly sighed and cast his eyes to the wooden deck he stood upon._

_He sighed, and dared himself to enter._

_He was soaked, and no doubt the papers in his backpack were ruined._

_But that had to have been a better outcome than interrupting their fight._

_The last time he did, his mother would drag him into it with insults and tears._

_His father would condemn him for being late, and accuse him of hanging around bad people._

_Would drowning in the falling water be a better fate than what awaited him inside?_

_He closed his eyes, knowing he couldn't just wait outside._

_He had to brave what awaited him._

_He put his hand on the knob and turned it ever so slightly at first. Then, with a sudden frown, he swung it open._

_Just in time to witness his mother screaming and threatening, and his father holding something above his head with both hands._

_"I'm gonna call the cops, ya bastard!"_

_His father fired back almost immediately "Go ahead, ya rotten bitch!"_

_His eyes widened as he watched his father slam the object over his mother's head, and she collapsed to the floor with a sudden, ear piercing shriek._

* * *

He gasped as his eyes shot open. He leaned forward and looked around, his breathing heavy and daunted. The man next to him jumped at the sudden movement and looked at him, but the teenager barely noticed.

The teenager looked around, and slowly a wave of calm fell on him. He quickly remembered that he wasn't at home anymore. It was nothing more than a dream, and just as quickly as he shot up in his seat he leaned back in it, sighing a breath of relief as sweat fell across his forehead.

"Kid, you alright?" The man next to him asked. "You were thrashing about there… Looked very worrying." The man next to him asked, arching an eyebrow at him.

The teenager just looked at him, and replied with a half-truth.

"Yeah, I'm fine." He said, etching a false smile on his lips. "Just a bad dream."

The man accepted this answer and returned to his magazine.

The teenager himself lingered his gaze on him a moment longer before turning it towards the window he sat by. He was fortunate to grab a window seat, and the man next to him was kind enough to allow him to have it. No discussion required, the man happily gave it over.

"How long have I been asleep?" The teenager asked himself, watching the ocean below as it passed by. It looked almost surreal, the blueness of the water. The beautiful sunlight glistening off of the surface like a beacon in the night. From high above, he spotted a big sea turtle. Just coasting along the surface like it was no one's business. Like it didn't have a care in the world.

Arthur couldn't help but feel some envy.

He had seen the ocean before, sure. But only in the Atlantic. Never before the Pacific. It was so much more blue and clear than the former. It awed him to no end.

This teenager, despite his fake smile before, managed a small real one here. If only for one reason in particular.

This teenager's name was Arthur. Arthur Frederick Williams.

And he was on a plane.

A plane bound for Tokyo, Japan.

He wiped the sweat off his brow, and closed his eyes once more for a brief moment. He was trying to forget the sudden wave of fright that had fallen on him only a moment prior. It was just a dream, and therefore should've held no merit.

But how frequent these dreams have become…

He sighed and opened his eyes. The economy class of the plane was there to greet him, and the stewardess walked by, eyeing the teen up and down as she had earlier noticed his discomfort.

"Is he alright?" She asked the man next to Arthur, and the man looked from his magazine to her, then to Arthur, then back to her.

"Uh yeah, yeah… He said it was a bad dream." He answered, and she frowned mildly.

"Poor baby…" She mumbled as she walked off, causing Arthur to frown. His problems should not concern anyone else, and he would rather keep it that way.

"Attention passengers and crew: This is your captain speaking." The plane's intercom buzzed from the silence of the cabin. "We are now approaching Japanese airspace, we should arrive on mainland Japan in about twenty minutes and will be landing at Haneda Airport, Ōta City, Tokyo…."

Arthur tuned the rest out, the only thing he cared about was that they were close to Japan, and thus close for him to have a fresh start…

" _If only for a year…_ " He thought.

He sighed and closed his eyes once more, slowly drifting between a dreamworld, and the reality he lived in.

* * *

All he could do was put one foot in front of the other.

His suitcase dragged behind him, and a bag hoisted over his shoulder containing his laptop. His clothes were plain; a pink collared polo and blue jeans. In that regard, he looked no different than the others around him. A young man making his way through the airport gates.

But everyone else had black hair, his was a bright brown.

Not to mention his own features made him stand out among everyone else.

The natives of this island nation.

He walked alone, didn't say a word to anyone. Not even the staff. The Americans on the flight had quickly dispersed and soon he was alone in a strange land. He would look around, yet see no one he knew - which was a strange feeling to bear.

It was odd as well, hearing a different dialect being spoken aloud all around. It was alien, but at the very least Arthur knew it. He was not an expert by any means but his long hours of study and practice throughout his years had availed him in the land of bilingualism. But the different accents being spoken sometimes made it hard for him to understand what was being said.

Not that he needed to know, he was quite content to keep to himself and let no one's business become his.

He eventually came to a stop, between the entrance to the airport and the ticket desks. People were walking by him at a swift rate. Too many to count, too many to recognize. He frowned and glanced around his surroundings trying to find someone in particular, but the only person of note nearby was an American in plain clothes and sunglasses speaking with some officials who looked to be security. Whether he was in trouble or not was not Arthur's business, but it was the only thing that looked out of place.

He huffed, dissatisfied with being alone and shook his head.

"He was supposed to be here…" Arthur mumbled, lowering his gaze. "Is he late? He never texted me…"

He stopped and set the suitcase he was dragging upright next to him and pulled out his phone. Just a black screen greeted him, but in a flash it shot to life. The wolf pack wallpaper behind a small password screen took over, and he quickly scanned the notifications for any new texts.

Alas, there were none.

An ounce of frustration sprouted in his mind and, without further thought, he placed the phone back in his pocket, grabbed the handle on his suitcase, and continued on his way.

"He's definitely late…" He mumbled once more, coming upon the crowded exit doors of the airport. Crowded was more of an understatement though. There were multiple lines to each door coming from the sides and shooting straight out. Arthur sighed and got into one, shuffling almost mindlessly for a good while before eventually arriving in the sunlight of Tokyo.

He shielded his eyes as he exited, looking up to the sky as if he were in an entirely different world. He smiled behind his open hand, waiting a moment to allow his vision to adjust before taking his suitcase back into his grasp and continuing forward.

The road was right there. He stood before it, gazing around for anyone who looked familiar. But it was the same thing wherever he turned. Tourists and unfamiliar natives. A couple security guards too. It was surprising. Life looked almost the same norm here as it did back in the home country.

" _Guess life is normal no matter where you go…_ "

"Hey, Arthur! Over here!" He heard amidst the unfamiliar voices and the vehicle horns.

Arthur shot his gaze forward, trying to locate the sudden call to his name. He could see no one at first, but then it called out again.

"Over here, look to your right!"

He did just that, and to his surprise he spotted a man in a black t-shirt and brown shorts waving him over, calling his name and smiling as bright as the sun. So bright that if his teeth were any whiter, they'd look like he had bleached them daily.

Arthur smiled, instantly recognizing the man as a close family friend and the man who was supposed to be inside the airport waiting for him. Why was he outside instead? He shook his head and approached him, keeping the smile broad on his face.

"Arthur! How's it going, kid?" He asked, reaching out to shake his hand. He suddenly paused, looked between Arthur's hands, and sheepishly grinned as he realized the kid's hands were full.

He retracted his hand, and Arthur replied earnestly.

"Well, the flight could've been better. But so far no complaints." Arthur nodded. "So far…"

The man chuckled, and he said "Well, you're here now. Come on, let's get going. Pretty soon the tourists are gonna be all over the area and you don't wanna be here when that happens." He motioned to the white car he stood by, and opened the door to the driver's seat. "Mind the road, Arthur."

This man, this family friend and trustworthy confidant of Arthur, was named Himura. Himura Arinori.

Arthur joined him in the car, and when the doors shut, Himura started the engine, and soon the two were on their way.

Traffic in Tokyo was always a joke back in the home country. Just like the population, it was rumored to be immense and jammed. Arthur's friends joked with him that he'd spend ninety percent of his time here in traffic. All good fun, but Arthur quickly found that those rumors and jokes no longer held credence in his mind. Traffic was present, but it moved along at a nice pace.

For a while Himura and Arthur chatted. For a time it was about the flight and how beautiful the waters surrounding Japan were compared to the United States. Later on it shifted to how Himura's been getting on since he returned to Japan early last year, when his tenure in a corporation in Washington state ended and his family began recalling him. They talked about the latest events going on around the world, and the recent events plaguing America.

But eventually, they quieted down. Not out of awkwardness, but out of the fact a radio host was speaking on the radio. One that Himura rather enjoyed listening to.

As Himura drove on, passing police, pedestrians, traffic, and various streets in their slow drive through the city, the radio host talked about the recent events that have hit Tokyo and its people.

Things such as events known as mental shutdowns and psychotic breakdown incidents. Arthur's brow rose at the subject, and while he often didn't pay any attention to the news - mostly because of the propaganda it spouted back in the home country - the fact he hadn't heard of any of this before his arrival coupled with the fact he technically had no choice but to listen.

It was intriguing to a young man such as himself. Very much so.

The radio mentioned an academy, and that a teacher there who had turned himself in to authorities after receiving, what the radio host called, a " _change of heart_ ".

"...and no word on whether or not these Phantom Thieves are truly in connection with Kamoshida's sudden change of heart. If they are, police are still stumped with how they managed to go about it."

"Pfft, Phantom Thieves… What a complete joke. People can't change on a whim…" Himura huffed, turning a corner onto another road. It seemed as if they were entering a district called Shibuya. "We're just not hardwired that way…"

Arthur looked at him, tapping a finger at the luggage in his lap as he listened to the story and Himura's disbelief on the subject.

"I bet someone just threatened him, probably with his life. Scumbag sounded like he deserved it either way…"

"What's this about?" Arthur asked, looking over to his guardian and friend. Himura's eyes opened wide, surprised Arthur didn't know anything of the subject, despite the fact it's been on the news well over a month now.

But that surprise quickly faded with another realization. "Oh, I suppose they haven't really talked about this back over in the USA." He said, scoffing as he recalled what happened. "Man, I tell you. The things people do… To put it simply for now, a teacher at this academy called Shujin was beating his students, raping and harrassing the female students and such. It's disgusting."

Arthur shook his head, silently agreeing with the sentiment Himura was expressing.

"Apparently a group calling themselves the " _Phantom Thieves of Hearts_ " caught wind of his actions and gave him a " _change of heart_ ". Even posted a number of calling card-esque postings around the school. A prank by someone who knew, obviously. But either way, it's good that fucker is behind bars now…" Himura explained. For a moment he went silent, and then his eyes widened. He added in sheepishly "Oh, maybe I should watch my language around you…"

"It-it's fine, Himura-san…" Arthur said, eliciting a chuckle from Himura. For a moment Arthur's mind lingered on what he could've said, and wondered why Himura found what he said amusing. Then, it dawned on him. "I….didn't use that right, did I?"

"No worries, Williams-san… You'll pick up the lingo quick, gonna have to if you don't wanna be seen as an idiot." Himura laughed. Arthur laughed with him, understanding well what Himura was saying. "By the way, you don't have to use honorifics with me. Just call me Himura, like I call you Arthur. But for future reference-"

"Call those I do not know by their last name and add an honorific. I got it, I got it." Arthur interrupted, smiling as he surprised Himura with his knowledge on the matter. "I did as much research as I could… I… May've forgotten some things though. I hope you can guide me when I need it." Arthur confided, getting a broad smile in return from Himura, who glanced at him briefly.

"No worries, Arthur. I'll help you adjust as much as you need." Himura responded, adding that "This is going to be a long year for you otherwise."

The radio continued buzzing with the latest news and Himura quieted Arthur down. Adding that " _He loves this guy._ ". Arthur complied, opting to watch the city pass by them in nearly slow motion. He couldn't help but let his thoughts roam for a bit. Random topics abound just to keep his mind occupied, but they always returned to the occult subject from earlier.

" _Mental shutdowns?_ "

" _Psychotic breakdowns?_ "

He had not heard of these things, even in his research into the city of Tokyo. What were they, exactly? He wanted to ask, but he didn't wish to interrupt Himura's favorite radio host nor did he wish to annoy Himura. He, instead, opted to ask later when he had the time to discuss it. But he figured he wouldn't have a whole lot of time today or tomorrow, considering his schedule for the next few days…

Suddenly, he felt a small vibration on his thigh. It startled him for a second as his mind was lost in thought. He then blinked, and reached into his pocket to pull out his phone but nothing was there. Just the same lock screen as before.

"Could've sworn I felt a buzz…." Arthur mumbled, confused by the sudden interruption of thought. He lingered his gaze on it for a moment before setting it down and closing his eyes.

Then, just at the moment, it dawned on him that he didn't even know what school he'd be attending.

* * *

It was getting late when they pulled into the driveaway of the apartment complex.

The drive through Tokyo was longer than needed, Himura explained. He said that if it weren't for everyone getting off work, they would've been home ages ago.

Arthur couldn't complain. He didn't truly know how commutes in Tokyo could be. He had heard most people take the train, but he had no evidence.

When they got inside they chatted for a small moment, mostly Himura explaining that this would be his residence for the next year.

"We're in Shibuya, the train station is right down the street a few blocks. I'll show you around some other time. Take a look around the apartment if you want, familiarize yourself, and I'll show you to the guest bedroom."

Himura then flicked the lights on.

The apartment looked really decent. More so than what Arthur expected. The kitchen and the living room were in the same space, of course, but the tile floor side by side with the carpet marked clearly which domain ended where. A black, cushioned sofa sat along the wall with a big flatscreen directly opposite to it hanging on the wall. Pictures of Himura and his family and some paintings that looked as if they were bought from a second-hand shop lined the walls, and a small display shelf filled with curios of different designs and shapes sat in the corner. A gold and blue fabergé egg sat in the middle shelf, guarded by what looked like toy soldiers who formed playful little stockades around it.

" _How cute._ "

As Arthur took everything in, Himura shut the door behind him and left for a room off to the side. That left Arthur alone in the living room as he continued to look over everything.

A large stereo sat under the TV but it looked largely unused, and a coffee table of Japanese design sat between the sofa and the TV. A few end tables, a lamp, and a bookshelf between the two doors - one of them being the bedroom for Himura.. An open door leading to the bathroom existed down a small hallway at the furthest end of the room, with a couple of sliding doors along the hallway walls concealing another part of the apartment. Arthur immediately went to investigate, and to a small surprise of his own, pulling the sliding doors back revealed a dryer and a washing machine.

" _Laundry…. Huh…._ "

Arthur turned about, hearing soft footsteps approaching. It was Himura, although he had changed into more casual wear.

"Find everything you're looking for?" He asked smugly, crossing his arms and smiling while Arthur just looked at him.

"Well, you basically did tell me to nose around…" Arthur replied.

"I know, I know." Himura chuckled, waving it off like it was nothing. He motioned Arthur to follow him. "So how does the place look? Is it to your liking?" He asked.

Arthur, slowly following the man, smiled widely and told him exactly what he thought."Himura. This place… It looks amazing! Like, it looks like an actual house!"

"An actual house, it is not… Heh, but I'm glad you think that way."

"No, Himura… You know where I come from, you've seen it yourself. This place looks like a palace compared to my home!"

"Heheh, don't be comparing my home to royalty, kid." Himura chuckled, stopping at one of the doors Arthur had noted earlier. "But you flatter me. I try to keep it tidy… Anyways, here." He turned the knob and opened it, it was dark. Too dark to see, so Himura flipped the light switch and soon the dark was illuminated.

Arthur took it all in, and he couldn't help but grin.

A king sized bed, its sheets a royal blue patterned with diamonds and dark blue pillows, sat against the wall. A dresser, a TV stand that came with a decent sized TV, and a sliding door closet. That was really to the extent of the decor, no picture or painting sat on the walls and no chairs or benches existed in the room. There was a dark blue rug with a spade on it in the middle of the room.

Arthur's grin was wide, and Himura rubbed the back of his neck and chuckled, feeling a tad bit uneasy at leaving someone in a room so unfurnished.

"I don't keep it furnished well because of my lack of visitors, so it's on you to decorate as you please. Just run it by me before you do anything, alright?" Himura asked.

"This is…. Way better than I'm used to…. Himura, are you sure this is my room? I'll be fine sleeping on the couch…." Arthur, despite his grin, was in disbelief internally. He just could not believe he was being set up in such a fine location. Himura looked down at him and shook his head, finding his own disbelief in the fact Arthur was expecting to sleep on the sofa.

"What? I'm not putting you up and not giving you a room to stay in. You crazy?" Himura looked at him funny, and Arthur returned the gaze. "Besides, I owe your dad. It's the least I could do for his son."

Arthur then turned away at the mention of his father. The grin he had faltered, and he pretended instead to be admiring the room. But Himura noticed this, and slowly followed it up with a question he's been dying to ask.

"Uh…. How is home, by the way?" Himura asked. "Last I heard from your dad, it's been-"

"I'd… prefer not to talk about it right now Himura…" Arthur mumbled. Loud enough for Himura to hear, but low enough to set off enough vibes. Himura rubbed the back of his neck and cast his gaze downwards. He knew it wasn't his place to ask this, especially not now. But he did so anyways.

"Right… Sorry, kid."

Arthur stepped into the room, immediately setting the suitcase down by the door and his laptop case on the bed. Pressing down on the sheets, it felt soft. Like it was made of memory foam. He retracted the hand, and just as he thought, it was indeed made of the material. The smile returned, and Himura noticed. He chose not to say anything though.

"Just thought I'd let you know, kid… You'll be going to school immediately tomorrow. You should get some rest… I forgot the name of the place, so I'll have to make a phone call in the morning. I have the number…. Somewhere." Himura said, and then quickly added "I'll show you around this weekend. Tomorrow's Saturday eve anyways so, yeah. Hopefully the jetlag won't affect you all that much, but now there's no better excuse to fall asleep, heheheh….heh..." Himura tried to joke, but Arthur didn't reciprocate the laugh. It fell short, and Himura then just cleared his throat and went for the door… "I'll… leave you be. Night kid."

"Himura!" Arthur stopped him, and Himura paused to look at him. Arthur's smile grew back once again, and he said solemnly "Thank you."

Himura managed a smile after that awkward situation and nodded. Witnessing Arthur bow as he spoke. He shut the door behind him, and Arthur was left alone in the room.

But Arthur didn't waste any time. As soon as Himura left he began unpacking. He brought along a few articles of clothing, two pairs of shoes, a toothbrush and toothpaste and a couple other miscellaneous things plus his laptop.

Once everything was put away in the proper drawers of the only dresser in the room, he changed into something more casual and whiled away a few hours mindlessly playing on his phone.

His thoughts returned, at some point, to the random buzz he received earlier in the day. He scanned his texts and call log but nothing showed up. Only old information. He couldn't figure out, no matter how many times he looked at the log, how he received a buzz.

Eventually the jetlag fell upon him, and his eyelids grew heavy. He settled on the answer that his phone was old and needed to be replaced.

"I should've done that before I came here…" He mumbled.

Shutting the phone off, he got up to put it on his dresser before shutting the lights off and tucking himself under the covers of the grandiose looking bed. He still couldn't believe he got set up in a wonderful location, it just seemed near impossible in his mind.

A stark contrast to the norm he had become accustomed to.

But despite his thoughts on the matter, he couldn't fight the sandman's spell.

He soon closed his eyes.

And drifted off into a blissful, silent sleep.

* * *

No matter how hard he tried, he just couldn't fall back asleep.

He kept his eyes slammed shut.

He wriggled and tossed on his bed, which now felt like a sudden slab of metal.

He slid onto his side, his back, his stomach. Every sleeping position he could think of, he couldn't make it work.

He doesn't know what caused him to wake.

He doesn't know why the bed was so uncomfortable.

But the air was so silent.

It was quiet. Peaceful. Only the sounds of his own breathing rang in his ears.

He grunted, and turned over to his back. Only the echoes of his grunting signaled to him that something was off.

He partially opened his eyes, and saw not darkness, but instead the sliver of a blue ceiling.

Then he opened his eyes fully, witnessing in its entirety the blue.

"What the…?" He gasped, shooting upwards on his bed. But he looked down, and it was no longer the blue sheeted bed with diamonds, but instead a table.

An autopsy table.

"Good god!" He shouted in English, jumping off the table with such dizzying speed. He nearly didn't land on his feet and stumbled as he tried to gain his footing with a pained grunt.

A small, unknown chuckle at his actions echoed, and Arthur quickly sprung right to face it. He saw nothing but identical blue tables, and blue metal walls with light blue metal beds that went into the wall. He looked left, to the far side of the room, and he gasped. He fell back on his heels, shouting in surprise to the presence of another.

For at the other end of the room, where a metal door and a still clock sat, was a man. A man with pointed ears, a sharp long nose, and bulging, unblinking, bloodshot eyes. A man with a black suit and white undershirt.

He sat there, watching Arthur with a sadistic looking smile. Situated on the desk was a quill, a stack of papers, a microphone, and a lamp, he watched Arthur closely for any further reaction. But all Arthur could do was stand there. Paralyzed with fear.

All Arthur could think was " _What is going on?_ ".

But as Arthur watched the unknown man, he suddenly lowered his head and extended a clenched hand outward towards Arthur.

He chuckled again, and then looked up at Arthur, he opened his hand and slowly panned it across the room with a simple greeting leaving his unclosing lips.

"Welcome, dear visitor, to my Velvet Room."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Proof read and edited by a friend named Frozen Foe on my Discord server.


	3. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "They must not know, however… This must be my secret."

Arthur could only stare at the man, who sat menacingly at his desk. A desk that truly seemed out of place with the surroundings they both found themselves in. Arthur took a step back, bumping into the wall directly behind him. He gasped and jumped forward, not understanding that he was in no danger.

The man sat up in his seat and clasped his hands together, watching Arthur with a never dying expression of giddy eagerness. An eagerness that looked very sadistic and unwelcoming. He never closed his mouth, and his teeth were barred at all times throughout the moments Arthur and the man exchanged glances in the unprecedented staredown.

But eventually Arthur lowered his posture when he came to the realization that if he was in any danger, he would've been harmed by now.

Arthur stepped forward, gulping as he moved, and spoke up. He tried to sound stalwart, but his voice betrayed him..

"Er…. Wh-who are you?" He spoke in English, eliciting a delighted chuckle from the man.

"You may speak to me in your mother tongue, or you may speak to me in the tongue of the rising sun. It makes no difference to me. Whatever is easiest for you." His voice was deep, menacing, and sinister. "It is a pleasure, nonetheless, to meet you."

"It is?" Arthur asked, again in English. "Is… is this a dream? I don't remember coming here… Wait! More importantly, who are you?!"

The man chuckled and leaned forward onto his elbows, lowering a hand to the desk and tapping away with his fingers. The small thuds echoed in the silence of the room, and served Arthur's discomfort even more.

"This." The man said, motioning to his blue surroundings. "Is my Velvet Room. I am it's proprietor. My name is Igor." He said. He took a breath, not even waiting for Arthur to catch up before adding "This place exists between dream and reality, mind and matter. This room is a room that only those bound by a contract may enter." He said, as if it was common knowledge. Arthur's eyes widened, unsure of what the ramifications of all that meant.

"This room is a reflection of your heart." Igor said, watching Arthur for any movement. Arthur didn't move, nor did it even look like he was breathing. He was simply confused, dumbfounded, and most importantly:

Frightened.

"Hrmmm." Igor hummed. "To put it simply: The state of your heart is reflected upon this room. To think a morgue is what you envision… You must truly be dead inside."

"A morgue?" Arthur echoed, and suddenly he started looking around. The walls, the autopsy tables, the tool cabinets. Blue, yet mysterious at the same time. His eyes did not deceive him, it was indeed a morgue. The presence of the tables and the tubes for corpses did not lie. "This… This doesn't make any sense… This has to be a dream… This has to be…." Arthur started murmuring, his breathing quicking. As he beheld the room around him, he couldn't help but notice something felt off about himself as well. He felt a tightness around his hands and neck, and so he glanced down at his hands. To his great surprise, he found he was donning thin white gloves.

"What the?!" He gasped, looking at the sudden change. He noticed his arms were clad in black sleeves and he forced himself to inspect the rest of his body.

A buttoned up black coat with a white undershirt coupled with black slacks and, finally, shiny pointed black shoes.

Arthur stared, with wide eyes and massive confusion, at what he wore, and then thought of what Igor said only moments ago.

"Just like a corpse in a morgue… right…?" Arthur asked him, not taking his eyes off of the outfit he had donned in his sleep. Igor chuckled.

"My, you are perceptive…"

"Then what does it mean?" Arthur asked, turning about and looking at the weird man named Igor. "I'm not one to pay merit to dreams, but I've been having a lot of bad ones lately. What does this one mean?" He asked quickly, unsure if he should be worried or not. This one was the most real one he's had, and he knows as much. It frightened him to no end.

"Whether this is all a dream, or in fact a reality only you can understand and perceive, is a conclusion you'll need to come to on your own, at your own discretion.." Igor said, waving off the questions Arthur was throwing at him. "But I summoned you here for a reason, and I will get that across before you soon depart…"

Arthur slowly lowered his arms and looked at him, unsure of the meaning behind his words. He had concluded this was a dream, and none of it would hold any real merit.

But it still frightened him how real this dream seemed, looked, and felt.

He could actually feel the fabric of his outfit.

The frigid air burning cold onto his lips.

The fear-inducing stare of the man who called himself " _Igor_ ".

"To put it simply, dear visitor, for there is no need to understand it all at this moment in time..." Igor started, ignoring the obvious disbelief in Arthur's eyes. He leaned forward and rested his chin on his clasped hands, watching Arthur's every movement, and studied him for every emotion he expressed. "You are bound to a horrible fate. A fate that cannot be overcome in your current state."

Arthur looked at him, not understanding what he meant, but listened anyways for he had no real choice in the matter. Igor knew this well, and continued on with his words.

"But… that does not mean you cannot overcome it in time. Fate is not absolute. She can be cheated, and the thread she weaves can instead be woven by your own hands. You just need to grasp it." He said, sounding as if there were some form of malice in his words. But with the way he has been speaking, Arthur concluded that it is not malice, but instead simply the natural tone of his voice. He relaxed a little with that knowledge. "You must achieve salvation. Salvation against fate. Only by doing so, can you weave your own destiny away from what awaits you in the coming future."

Igor paused, and watched Arthur further as he took in what Igor said. At first, Arthur just looked at him. His gaze lingered, and then it was broken as he gazed around the blue hued room. The blue tables, the blue tool cabinets, the blue walls. Then Arthur gazed down at what he was wearing, and he suddenly couldn't help but snicker.

Igor raised a brow at this, but allowed the laughter to sprout and grow.

Arthur snickered on, and it quickly developed into a belly laugh as he came to his own realization.

The realization that should've dawned on him at the very beginning.

He snorted and chuckled for moments further before calming down, wiping a tear away from his eyes as he addressed the dream man.

"OK. OK. This is a funny dream alright. Scared me at first, but I think this dream is better than the alternatives I could've been facing." Arthur chuckled, having a seat on the table he woke on. Igor only watched, and listened to the disbelief pouring from Arthur's mouth. "But this is an interesting prospect… Let's say, for a moment, that I do face a terrible fate in the future. That this dream really holds merit even though, lets face it, dreams do not. There is no scientific evidence to support that dreams can predict futures… But let's say they do for a moment…"

Igor listened further and waited as Arthur paused. Arthur was waiting for a response. One that never came. He took it as his cue to continue.

"How does this " _salvation_ " prevent my supposed fate?" He asked. "Furthermore, how can I achieve this concept you speak of?"

Igor's unsettling smile didn't change. It's as if someone cut his lips off, and forever forced him to adopt this smile. But he did nothing more. Only smile. Watching Arthur as Arthur watched him.

"You do not need to understand it, nor believe in it, for now. You have plenty of time. But remember my words well: Fate is cruel. As your status stands, you cannot change what lays in wait for you. Only by treading the path to salvation can you stand up against Fate, and take into your own hands your destiny."

Arthur nodded, chuckling at the prospect of " _rebelling against fate_ ". He thought it was a silly concept, and that only something that fantastical would exist in a dream. Arthur was content to believe in his science, and leave these dreams no merit. He looked up at Igor from his chortles and just shook his head.

"What an odd dream…" He mumbled, smiling all the while. However he much preferred silly dreams over what he's been having as of late.

"The night wanes, and soon you will awaken. We will meet again, sometime soon, when I deem you ready for the first step." Igor said, waving a hand at him in dismissal. He said no more, had no reason to say more. He simply watched as Arthur began to feel a deep drowsiness set in.

He swayed in his spot, eyes lowering in sudden exhaustion, and he rose his hands to his view only to see blurry white gloved palms shaking.. He tried to stand, but the sudden exhaustion overtook him. He stumbled to the floor, falling to his knees with a heavy huff.

He tried to look up at Igor, but Igor offered no assistance. Only watching in what looked like amusement.

Moments later, his sight became nothing but darkness.

* * *

His eyes opened, and the dark of the room greeted him.

Nothing but the darkness that initially greeted him when he first was introduced to his room.

He groaned, and shuffled under the covers. He did not want to get up, and instead just laid there. Eyes open, breathing shallow.

His thoughts did not exist for a moment. He was quiet, both physically and mentally, for the first time in a long, long time.

A blessing it was, and he smiled internally beneath the mask of indifference he held outwardly.

But why did he act indifferent even now?

No one was around to see him.

That was, until the door opened. Light shined into the room, and for a moment all remained still. Arthur recoiled in place, rolling over on his side to avoid the glare of the lamps and ceiling lights. He huffed, and closed his eyes.

"Now, now, Arthur. I know this is probably the first time in a while you've had a peaceful night's rest….. Buuuuuuuut….. You gotta get up, kid." A familiar voice called from the doorway.

Arthur mumbled something incomprehensive and rolled to face the familiar voice. He knew who it was, but for some reason he needed confirmation.

The lights flicked on in his room, and Arthur got what he wanted.

It was indeed Himura.

" _So yesterday was real, huh…. Not some fever dream…_ " Arthur realized. " _It was too good to be true, but here I am…_ "

Arthur's internal smile sprouted into the physical world, and Himura smiled in turn.

"Eh. Is it time already?" Arthur's groggy voice called to Himura, and Himura nodded.

"I called the school already and confirmed our appointment with the principal. It's late notice, you getting here, but he said there are reasons behind it all. I don't know what that means but that's what he said." Himura shook his head, backing out of the room. "Your uniform's in the laundry. Get yourself dressed, we'll get you a backpack or a duffle bag later." He said as he walked from the room, leaving Arthur sat up in bed, groggy yet happy at the same time.

He threw the sheets off himself and leaned off the bed, only to be greeted once again by Himura's distant voice.

"Hey! You a coffee guy?" He called out.

Arthur responded with "Yeah!"

"Alright well get your as-errr…. Get out here! I made a full pot!" He responded, pausing mid sentence to stop himself from saying something Arthur really wouldn't have minded him saying. He shook his head and got out of bed to ready himself for the day.

After making his bed and grabbing his clothes from the laundry he donned himself in the uniform of his school. He couldn't help but look at himself in a mirror and cringe at what the uniform looked like. Plaid pants and a black, button up shirt along with red buttons and the symbol of the school on the left breast.

He couldn't help but wince at the uniform, so much so that it almost made him think the uniforms back in America were actually good looking.

He buttoned his sleeves, looking over each one for a button he may have missed. But then it dawned on him that he was indeed forgetting something important. He was a senior back in the United States schooling system, therefore he would be - what the Japanese call - a third year here. At the school he was attending, he was told on the forms that he would have to wear a pin to denote his grade.

He looked around for the pin, unsure of where he had left it. He remembered he had taken it off before putting the uniform on and couldn't figure out where he had set it. He checked the bathroom floor, the countertop, the back of the toilet, but he couldn't find it at all.

Then he looked at the mirror, and a small annoyed blush burned onto his cheeks.

It was on his collar the whole time. He had never actually taken it off.

As he readied himself further, he could hear his guardian calling him from the living room.

"Arthur! Arthur hurry up, the coffee's gettin' cold!"

Arthur looked at himself one last time in the mirror and shook his head. The uniform looked so stupid, especially on him. But he had no choice. He knew he had to make a good first impression on the staff, especially the principal.

With one last disgusted look, he turned the lights off and exited the bathroom just in time to see Himura walk up with a coffee mug.

"You were taking so long I thought I'd bring it to you. Gulp it down fast." He told him, handing him the lukewarm mug. He wasn't kidding when he said the coffee was getting cold. "If you don't, we're gonna run late. Finish that and we'll head to the car."

Arthur looked at the contents of the mug and swished it around, taking a good whiff of the aroma as he checked it out. It smelled decent, and lukewarm coffee was OK to him, but he sullenly wished it was fresh. Nothing beats fresh coffee.

He wanted to ask Himura how long ago it was made, but he relented. He figured it didn't really matter, he'd be leaving in a few minutes regardless so he took a sip and watched as Himura moved to grab his keys from the coffee table. As he picked over the number of keys on it, he grunted and looked back to Arthur, who was still standing still where Himura had left him, coffee mug in hand.

An inquisitive stare was on his face, and Himura said "By the way, the school you're attending? I figured out it's name…"

Arthur continued to watch him, and in the end wasn't surprised at all to hear the name despite its slight familiarity.

"It's Shujin. Shujin Academy."

* * *

They finally arrived outside Shujin, with Himura looking over his phone at some GPS map. When they stopped at the bottom of a set of stairs leading up to a gate, Himura looked sharply between the building and his phone. He was trying to confirm this was the place.

Arthur just looked past him at the sign directly in front of them before cutting his eyes back at Himura.

The sign itself said " _Shujin Academy_ ".

Arthur chose to stay silent, not wanting to look a smartalec to his guardian.

Himura himself gave a silent huff and put the phone away, nodding in confirmation as he looked over the empty street and up the quiet set of stairs. Nobody was around, and it seemed class was in session.

"This looks to be the place." Himura said, crossing his arms. "Looks quaint…" He commented.

"Yeah…" Arthur agreed, stepping forward towards the stairs. He placed a foot at the bottom step and looked up, beholding the windowed building in his view. He paused and looked back at Himura, a question ringing in his mind. "Umm… Where are we, exactly?"

"Aoyama-Itchome. Station's right down the road…. Er, that reminds me. You'll be taking the train starting tomorrow. I can't be driving you back and forth everyday, I had to call in a day off just for this." Himura admitted, finding a place by Arthur's side as they looked up at the academy. A couple people walked by the glass doors, but Arthur couldn't see if they were students or faculty. Probably faculty, considering they were the only people he's seen so far. "My place of work? They don't like us doing that." Himura added.

"Right." Arthur said.

Himura cut his eyes to Arthur briefly before ascending the stairs, beckoning Arthur to follow. "Come on, let's go introduce ourselves to the principal. He's expecting you."

"Yes, I suppose he is." Arthur echoed Himura, following him up the steps. "Didn't he approve my exchange personally?"

"To my knowledge. To my knowledge." Himura answered, looking around to see if he could spot anyone. "Class's definitely in session. Dammi- Errr...Well… Dang It. We're late."

Arthur chuckled but did nothing more. They were right in front of the doors when Himura stopped him.

"Hey, before we go in…" Himura stopped Arthur with a flat hand. "You have money, correct?" He asked.

Arthur, knowing his parents didn't supply him with anything he could exchange, shook his head almost immediately. Himura's eyes widened "Your parents didn't even give you American money for exchange?" Himura asked, shocked. Arthur just looked at him, shrugging. It wasn't anything unusual to him. "Kid…."

"Let's just go meet the principal." Arthur stopped him, walking by Himura as he stood there, dumbfounded with the revelation.

"Arthur!" He called out to the teen. With a hand on the glass door, Arthur turned around to face Himura. He fully expected him to say something about his parents, but instead the man pulled out his wallet and handed him two two-thousand yen banknotes. "Here. I can spare some pocket change. Just keep in mind two thousand yen isn't a lot like two thousand dollars are in America. Get yourself some lunch, and maybe stop at the underground mall and pick up a bag or something. Got it?" He told him.

Arthur looked at the banknotes, and thanked Himura before pocketing the money.

They had entered the school and it was quiet. Almost eerily so for a school. But as it stood, class was in session. They matched the silence of the school so as to not disturb the teachers. The desk at the front pointed them towards the principal's office and even called him upon their check in to alert him of their arrival.

When they arrived at the principal's office, Arthur couldn't help but feel a bit shaken standing outside his door. Himura noticed the sudden hesitation and nudged him forward with a calm smile. "Come on, kid."

They opened the door, and inside were two men. One sitting at a desk at the other end in front of a window and surrounded by bookshelves and papers, the other standing by him. The one sat at the desk was a rather large, rather obese man with fat overflowing past his shirt collar - It almost looked like the shirt was constricting him - with a shiny bald head and mustard yellow coat, a white undershirt, and a red bowtie.

The other man was a much slimmer, much older gentleman with white hair, a blue checkered jacket concealing a black undershirt, large rimmed glasses, and jeans with black boots. It seemed as if he were talking with the obese man before they had entered, as if they had caught them midconversation. The older man coughed into his hand, and said "Speak of the devil."

The obese man sighed and bade them to enter. Arthur and Himura fully entered the room, with the latter shutting the door behind them.

"An hour late on your first day…? How unbecoming." The obese man said, lowering his head into his clasped hands. Himura chuckled.

"Apologies, principal. Traffic was, how do you put it? Er…. Unbecoming." Himura stated, crossing his arms and smiling as the two men looked at them.

"That's not how you use that word." Arthur said, taking a step forward and bowing to the principal. "I humbly apologize for being late. I know this all is on short notice."

The principal smiled. "So they do teach manners over in the west. How quaint." He said. "Arthur Frederick Williams, correct? Let me be the first to welcome you to Shujin Academy, if not Tokyo and Japan itself."

Arthur rose up and thanked the man for his welcome.

The man looked at him for a moment before gesturing to himself. "I am Principal Kobayakawa. Not sure if you knew that already, though."

The older man then stepped forward and placed a hand on his heart. He looked very annoyed.

"And I am your homeroom teacher, Mr. Sakutaro. I would say it's a pleasure, but you're entering at a rather…. Difficult time." He said, crossing his arms and leaning on the principal's desk. "Not to mention being an hour late… Do you know how difficult it is for a teacher to leave his classroom alone at a time like this? Who knows what those kids are up to now…"

"Sakutaro-sensei, it is a pleasure to meet you too." Arthur bowed in his direction, but rolled his eyes when they could no longer be seen. He could already tell he wasn't going to like Sakutaro. "I apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused…"

"I suppose it can't be helped." Sakutaro waved him off.

"Yes, there were many difficulties with your paperwork as well as the bureaucracy of getting your transfer set up not to mention the difficulty of getting your parents on the phone. You may have been late by an hour, but technically you've been late nearly a quarter of a year. There were faults on both ends."

"O-of course." Arthur agreed, donning a mask of subjugation instead of defending himself. If he had said anything otherwise, it would no doubt hurt him in the long run.

"Well, Williams-kun, I'm sure you're just _eager_ to get to class, so we'll get this done with as quickly as possible." The principal said, placing a small stack of papers on the desk in front of them "I'm sure Mr. Sakutaro wants to get back to his class as well. Here, firstly Williams, sign this paper. This is your agreement to uphold the rules of this school, don the uniform at all times while class is in session, and other small agreements to both the student body and the faculty. Failure to uphold any of these could mean your immediate expulsion. We do not play around here at Shujin Academy."

"Especially with what's been going on…" Sakutaro mumbled under his breath, but Arthur heard it nonetheless. He gulped, and silently signed the paper presented to him.

"As for the rest, these go to your guardian, Arinori-san. Please sign them in here, in front of me… Now, Williams-kun…" The principal reached into his desk and pulled out a small card with Arthur's picture on it. "This is your student ID. Keep this on you at all times. You are living in Shibuya, correct? This doesn't just signal you as a student here, it'll also allow you to transfer and ride the trains between Shibuya and Aoyama-Itchome freely. Don't lose it. If you do, you're gonna have to pay for a new one. Understood?"

Arthur took it and bowed. "Understood."

"Good." The principal said. "Mr. Sakutaro will show you to your class. Please follow him. I expect good things, Williams-kun. Your conduct at your American school as well as your fluency in Japanese, knowledge of Japanese history, and your perceived eagerness to learn more made you an excellent choice for this school."

"Thank you." Arthur said with a small smile. Himura smiled too before stepping forward towards the desk. Mr. Sakutaro stepped past Arthur, beckoning him to follow.

"Good luck, kid." Himura told Arthur. He then picked up a nearby pen and looked over the papers he had to sign. "OK, so where do I sign?"

The walk to class was a silent one. The teacher didn't say much, but did keep glancing back at Arthur to make sure he was still there. Arthur always met his eye when he looked back, and the teacher would huff before turning to face his own direction. Arthur's gleeful smile faded fast with this hostility. After a few sets of stairs, they arrived on the first floor. It wasn't long before they arrived at the doors to Classroom 1-C.

Looking through the door's window, Arthur could see all the students inside. Most were chatting amongst themselves, playing little games like tiny paper football or on little hand held devices. Amongst everyone ignoring their school obligations, there was one student who sat off in a corner desk, reading what looked like a study guide of some sorts.

Arthur didn't have enough time to get a good look at her, as his teacher suddenly piped up behind him.

"Get a good enough view?" He asked Arthur, breaking Arthur from his gaze into the classroom. "This is my classroom. See what you've done to it?" The teacher sternly remarked. "Without the teacher, there is no order. So think about that next time you pull me out of my damn classroom."

Arthur just looked at him, blinked, and apologized with a bow.

"I….I'm sorry, sensei…"

There was nothing more he could really do, even with his aversion to the rude behavior this teacher was exhibiting.

"Hmph. At least you have the stones to apologize." The teacher admitted. He looked at Arthur a moment longer before shaking his head. Arthur had maintained his bow. "Come on, get up. Let's get to it." Sakutaro sighed, opening the door to the classroom. Suddenly everyone went silent. The games ended, and everyone had looked up from what they were holding or reading.

Even the student in the corner had looked up from her study guide, looking for who had just entered the room..

" _Just like in America._ " Arthur couldn't help but notice everyone's behavior.

Arthur just looked at everyone, even after Mr. Sakutaro had entered the room. He turned and looked at Arthur and beckoned him further. "They're not gonna bite. C'mon."

Arthur closed the door behind him and followed the teacher to the front of the room.

" _I must look like a goddamn idiot, not even a bookbag…_ "

Mr. Sakutaro looked to everyone for questions. But everyone was quiet. Anyone who had their phones out had quickly hidden them, the paper football was gone, the ipads and switches were gone. The only things that remained were books and guides. But no one had a question. Either everyone knew what was going on, or Mr. Sakutaro had a tight grip on the class whenever he was around.

The teacher suddenly started coughing, a loud fractious fit that Arthur recoiled from. It was out of the blue, and even a few students flinched. But when the teacher had calmed down he just looked at Arthur and shook his head before addressing the class.

"Since he's not gonna do it…" He announced outloud, inciting a few snickers from the students. "I'm sure there's only one other person in the class who actually knows who this is, so for those of - the rest of you - who don't know:" He gestured to Arthur with both hands. "This is the American foreign exchange student, Arthur Frederick Williams. He's going to be joining our class from here forward, and for those of you wondering, he's late into the year because of some difficulty with his paperwork and the transfer."

Arthur looked over the class, and most of the students wore the same uniform. It was to be expected, but one student - the student in the corner - didn't. Instead, she wore a black vest with a white turtleneck under it. The only thing she wore that looked remotely Shujin was the plaid skirt she wore over black pantyhose with boots that rose up to her ankles. She even had a french-braided headband in her hair, which was brown and was styled in a distinct bob cut.

Arthur blinked. He wasn't sure if he's ever seen a bob cut before.

She was watching him closely, as was everyone else. So closely that he in fact felt a little unnerved by her. Moreso since her eyes were an odd color from everyone else. They were the color of a frightening red.

"...In fact, if it wasn't for his principal back in America, he probably would've started this year as a lowly first year… That's how difficult everything managed to be." The teacher added, shrugging off Arthur's silence. He looked at the American and told him "Say something to the class please. I'm sure they're just dying to know who you are."

Arthur looked between him and the class and asked "What do I say?"

"Tell them who you are, where you came from, and if someone asks a question answer it. But for God's sake don't take too long. I got a class to run." Sakutaro quietly answered, doing his best to avoid the class from hearing him.

"R-right." Arthur stepped forward, crossing his arms and looking between random students in the room. "Er, he already told you my name…. I… come from Washington state. For those of you who don't know, that's the state on the top left corner of the map, right under Canada. I lived right outside Seattle actually. Roosevelt High School was where I went prior to coming here.."

The class began murmuring, giving him pause as voices piped up from around the classroom. He couldn't even finish his sentence.

"His Japanese is pretty good…"

"Never heard of Washington…"

"Is Washington a state? Isn't that their capital?"

"I thought their capital wasn't a state, but actually a city?"

"Didn't even know he was coming…" Was among the few things heard. Nonetheless, undaunted, he continued on with his introduction to himself when the teacher quieted everyone down.

"I'm probably a complete alien to you all, but I don't bite. I can speak both English and Japanese with incredible fluency. If you have any questions, feel free to ask."

"Say something in English!" Someone shouted from across the room. Everything started snickering, and Arthur looked for the source. He couldn't find it. What he did find was a sheepish feeling as he rubbed the back of his head.

"Er, OK…" Arthur spoke in Japanese. He then coughed into his fist and said, in perfect English "Something in English."

The class started laughing, all except for the student in the corner.

"Oh my God, he actually did it!"

"Uh, what did he say?"

"I'm not good with English, but I think he said something about English.."

"How boring…"

Arthur smiled and bowed, the teacher just looked at him and scowled for his pandering to the jokes.

"Say something else!" Someone else had shouted. "English please!"

Arthur rose and chuckled, thinking of something he could say from his native language. After a few moments he thought of just the thing.

"Err…. Peter.. Piper… picked a…. Peck of pickled peppers?" Arthur said almost without stumbling.

The class started laughing again, the majority finding much enjoyment in their new English speaking classmate. Most of them, while they were taking English classes, didn't fully understand what he was saying. One student in the class knew though, and she simply shook her head at his jokes. Arthur noticed this, but chose not to comment or even engage. He was proving himself a welcome addition the rest of the class and that's all he needed.

That's all he really cared about at this moment.

"Alright, alright, that's enough. Last thing we need is another jokester…" Sakutaro commented. "If that's all, go ahead and have a seat… Err… What seat is open?"

Mr. Sakutaro looked around the room for an open seat. There was only one, in the middle row, four seats towards the back. Beside a male student with really short black hair and braces. Sakutaro smiled and pointed that seat out.

"Over there, that'll be your seat, understood?"

"Understood. Thank you Sakutaro-sensei…"

"Enough with that " _sensei_ " bullcrap. Just call me Mr. Sakutaro, that's fine enough for me. Now go have a seat."

Arthur frowned at the maintained hostility, but complied nonetheless. He passed the students, all of them watching him and snickering at both his words from earlier and his interaction with the teacher. The student with braces was smiling as he watched him approach but did nothing else.

When he took a seat, he looked around, and it seemed everyone had stopped paying him any mind. The teacher was back in control of the room in its entirety.

"Now, I'm sorry all for that…. Distraction… But let's get back on track before class ends, yes?" He announced, pulling up a textbook from his desk. "We left off on…"

Arthur sighed. The beginning of his school year had finally, truly, begun.

"Oh, and can someone share their textbooks with Williams today? Thank you very much."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Proof read and edited by a friend named Frozen Foe on my Discord server.


	4. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "The road will be long and difficult, but he will become an excellent thief."

The day was long, abnormally so for a teen like Arthur.

He enjoyed his schoolwork, took it seriously, and strived for excellence back in the home country. Took online classes to even further his education where possible. Time was never a factor into his day before.

Unlike now.

When the bell rang for lunch, he wasted no time in searching for the cafeteria. He just followed everyone else. When he had entered, he was surprised at how large the space really was. The whole section of the floor must've been dedicated to it. Of course, students were allowed to eat lunch in the courtyard as well, but Arthur preferred indoor dining. The weather and the bugs were nonexistent.

When he purchased his lunch - a small meal of white rice, some mixed vegetables and tilapia - he began looking for a small place to tuck away and be by himself. As much as he wanted to look good in front of other students, he didn't want to intrude on anyone. It seemed most people in the cafeteria sat with those they knew anyways. Arthur didn't know anyone, and the only real interaction he had with another student was the student he sat next to who had braces. They shared a textbook, but that was to the extent of their interaction.

Arthur scanned the cafeteria but couldn't spot a lone table. All he saw were groups and groups of students, some passing by, most just eating at a table. Even one table near the entrance to the cafeteria was taken by the red-eyed girl from his class. She was sitting there, alone, eating a school lunch and minding her own business.

Part of him felt bad for her and he thought about joining her. But he didn't know her, and he didn't want to come off as a creep or weird or anything worse. Those possibilities in mind, he quickly opted out of the idea, and decided to wander about for a table.

As he wandered, he passed different tables dominated by different types of cliques. First years, second years, third years, nerds, athletes, the typical female cliques, and more. At one point, he even spotted a group of second years sitting apart from everyone else. One was a blond girl with bushy pigtails, another was a blond carefree looking boy who wasn't even wearing a regulation shirt underneath his black button up. The final guy was a frizzy, black haired boy with glasses.

And somewhere nearby, Arthur could've sworn he heard a cat.

But he shoved those thoughts aside and moved along. Their business was not his. He didn't want to look crazy looking for a cat either.

Eventually, he found a table at the far end of the cafeteria. Deserted and quiet. Just as he wanted. He took a seat and, chopsticks in hand, slowly began to eat his meal.

After a while in his seclusion, he felt a buzz in his pocket. The sudden vibration caught him off guard and he grunted, food still in his mouth, and pulled his phone out to check.

But, as was the case yesterday, there was no notification. Just the same wolf pack lock screen that he was used to.

"Haht tha?" He mumbled, food in his mouth. He swallowed, unlocked the screen, and checked his messages for any sneaky little text. But there was nothing. The latest text having been sent four days ago to a punk friend of his back stateside.

He shook his head, and just then a voice piped up.

"Uh, excuse me?" Someone asked.

Arthur put the phone down and looked up. Much to his surprise, it was the short, black haired boy with braces from his class.

"I was trying to catch up with you but, damn, you move fast." He said, chuckling at Arthur. Arthur just looked at him and apologized.

"Sorry, I tend to speed walk. A habit of mine."

"Ah, is it an American thing?" The boy asked, before quickly shaking his head and saying "Nevermind, that sounds really stupid actually…"

Arthur glanced between his half-eaten food and the boy, who just awkwardly stood there. It seemed like he was unsure of what to say next, and the situation just deteriorated by the second in its comfort level. But eventually the boy broke the immediate silence.

"So…. mind if I sit with you?"

Arthur looked at him for a moment further before chuckling. This was a surprise to him, and a welcome one at that. The students in his class seemed to have had their fun with him in the beginning but as class rolled on he became a figment of the past. Even the red-eyed girl who seemed to have been studying him in the beginning left the second the bell rang without even saying a single word to him.

To be approached by someone he didn't know in such an alien land was a warm thing indeed to Arthur, and he didn't want to turn away the possibility of making a new friend.

"Uh, sure. Sure. Have a seat, man." Arthur allowed him. The boy smiled and sat across from him. The boy was of the same grade as him, a third year. With braces, short black hair that parted on the left side and a uniform like everyone else, this guy almost looked like you could lose him easy in a crowd if you didn't know him. The fact he thought to approach Arthur AND acted on it said a lot about his own confidence, and that was something Arthur immediately picked up on and quietly respected.

Even more when he earlier agreed without second thought on sharing a textbook with Arthur.

"Oh, by the way, I appreciate sharing your textbook with me earlier." Arthur commended him, adding a slight bow to his posture. The boy shook his head.

"Don't bow to me please, we're the same grade. I can't at all be considered your senpai."

"Ah… I was wondering when I'd hear that word…" Arthur said as he rose up. Some level of disgust with that word was evident in Arthur's voice, but the boy merely rose a brow in confusion.

"What?" He asked. Arthur simply cocked his head and, with a small snicker, shrugged his question off.

"Nothing. Don't worry about it." Arthur said as he picked up his chopsticks. He leaned forward on the table and watched as the boy with braces readied himself for his own meal. A small napkin in his lap and under his plate. He looked up at Arthur and noticed he was watching him.

That sparked a conversation between the two that lasted a good bit. The two talked about the circumstances regarding Arthur's troubled transfer between the schools, and at times the boy gushed over things he heard about America and asked Arthur all kinds of different questions regarding that topic. Arthur was more than happy to answer them. Questions such as meal portion size, fast food businesses, and traditions that Americans had among other things. The conversation lasted a good while before Arthur, realizing he doesn't even know the boy's name, interrupted the conversation to ask.

"Oh, my name? My name is Ichisake. Ichisake Miyara. But you can just call me Ichisake, no needs for honorifics please, Williams-san."

Arthur's eyes widened at the honor and he couldn't help but bow again. "It's an honor, Ichisake…. If that's the case…" He paused and looked up at the boy. "...You don't need to use honorifics with me either. You can use my first name."

"I am truly honored, Arthur…. Arthur…. Arrrrrrthurrrrrr…." Ichisake sounded out slowly, causing Arthur to smile, even if it was just a small one. "Rolls off the tongue weird."

Arthur laughed, and Ichisake joined. When the two caught their breath, Arthur suddenly thought of something that he heard about yesterday during his car ride to his new home. Ichisake had begun picking at his fish when Arthur asked about it, causing Ichisake to suddenly perk up.

"So, I've been hearing about some stuff going on with the school, been happening since before my exchange. What is all that about, stuff about " _phantom thieves_ " and… well… sexual harassment? Was that what made my exchange difficult?" Arthur asked.

Ichisake, mouth full of fish, simply looked skyward for a moment in thought before swallowing and, with a gasp for air, shook his head.

"I wouldn't know, Arthur. At least not that last part…" Ichisake started. "But I know what you're talking about. For a few days that's all the school talked about. Kamoshida's change of heart, the phantom thief calling cards, the harassment coming to light. Even the news picked up on it. You telling me no ones talking about this overseas?"

Arthur shrugged. "I didn't find anything during my research."

"Huh…" Ichisake sounded off before looking back at his dish. "Well. I wouldn't know if _that's_ what delayed your transfer, but I know a little bit about what's been going on, so if you wanna know. I'll be happy to tell ya." He offered with a humble smile.

The bell suddenly rang out of nowhere, and Arthur could hear faint groans of annoyance from the students all around. Even Ichisake seemed mildly annoyed with time having run out. Arthur himself just shrugged and piled his trash on top of his plate.

"Didn't even finish my lunch…" Ichisake complained. Arthur reminded him he didn't either, and the two quietly stood up and disposed of their garbage.

"Well, I suppose I'll have to fill you in another time, Arthur." Ichisake told him. Arthur agreed, and relayed to him he was very interested in figuring out what the deal was before his arrival.

Ichisake looked at Arthur and smiled.

"Wanna walk back to class together? We're in the same room, after all." He offered.

Arthur, happy someone in the school took an interest in him at all, returned his smile and reciprocated his offer of friendship.

"Sure. Let's go."

* * *

"I just don't know what went wrong this year…" Kobayakawa murmured into his palms, frustrated with the turn of events he had to deal with throughout the beginning of this school year.

"Pardon me, Principal Kobayakawa?" The vice principal asked, raising an eyebrow at his choice of words. The principal glanced up at him from his hiding spot behind his hands, displeased with his vice principal's ignorance to the situation.

"You're telling me you're oblivious to all that's gone on this year?" The principal asked, laying his hands on the arms of his chair and leaning back, watching the man before him with a steady glare. "First, a delinquent transfer student scaring the staff and student body, THEN we have a delusional honor student confusing everyone with her references to another person when referring to herself, THEN these " _phantom thieves_ " and Mr. Kamoshida and…. Good God, Kamoshida…" Kobayakawa pouted. He shut his eyes and let his face droop. The vice principal frowned, crossing his arms and massaging his chin as he thought about everything presented to him.

"It _has_ been a troublesome year…." He said, trying to find a good way to agree with the principal's troubled state.

"Troublesome? Troublesome, huh?" The principal echoed, opening his eyes and eyeing the papers on his desk before him. "Try a complete clusterfuck.." He mumbled.

"Sir?" The vice principal asked, surprised to hear the principal cursing aloud.

"Things just keep getting thrown at me left and right and I'm expected to handle all of it in a correct fashion that is completely absent to me. How am I supposed to deal with these " _Phantom Thieves_ "? What am I supposed to do about our school's image, now that Mr. Kamoshida has gone and mucked it all up?" Kobayakawa whimpered, finding no solace to the situation even in his own mind.

The vice principal rose a finger to him. "We're not even sure these Phantom Thieves of Hearts even exist. I'm pretty sure it's just a prank, as does most of the student body and faculty. Even the student council president, Niijima-san, agrees that it's just a prank by someone who knew." He reminded Kobayakawa.

The principal shook his head and echoed the vice principal's choice of words.

"Prank…." He murmured, unsure if his higher ups would even accept that as an answer. They didn't when they contacted him about this incident. The principal then leaned forward, looking his vice principal in the eye as he thought up a new question. "If it's a prank, then answer this: How does that explain Mr. Kamoshida's sudden change in personality? His readiness to commit suicide for his actions? His complete cooperation with the authorities? His sudden demands to be arrested? No one in this entire world can change on a whim like that, even if threatened or blackmailed…"

The vice principal nodded. "So you're saying these Phantom Thieves are real….and that they might be members of our student body?" He deduced.

"Precisely." Kobayakawa said, smiling that his vice principal caught on so quickly. "But worry not, I have a _very_ trustworthy person looking into this for me. But that isn't the end to my worries…." The principal slouched in his seat, eyeing once again the papers sitting before him. They were faxed to him nearly an hour ago, and the worrying details on them only served to displease him further.

"What sort of worries, Kobayakawa-san?" The vice principal asked, truly curious that there was more.

"Regarding the foreign exchange student." The principal sighed. He picked up the papers and read them over real quick before looking at his vice principal. " I got worried over his arrival and thus had these faxed to me by a colleague of mine. They regard him in a bad manner. One that could further taint our school."

"Really?" The vice principal asked in surprise. "If that's the case, why did you allow him to come?"

"I-I… Everything happened _AFTER_ his transfer was approved! There was no way I could stop it!"

The vice principal shook his head, and Kobayakawa looked over each paper he had for a few moments before sighing aloud. He knew what the vice principal was thinking, and opened his mouth to answer the question. "According to these papers, Williams-san has… had extensive psychiatric treatment in the United States. This therapy has been going on for about a year, and it was ongoing until his transfer was approved to our school."

The vice principal looked at him, surprised to hear that. "Really? I had just spoken to Mr. Sakutaro only twenty minutes ago. He reports that Williams-san's conduct and manners are, as he put it, " _acceptable_ ". Coming from Mr. Sakutaro, that is quite a compliment."

"According to the fax I received, Williams-san has been, as the Americans put it, Baker Acted in May of last year for… attempted suicide."

The vice principal's eyes widened, but even with the word hanging in the air he couldn't help but ask a question that was obvious to him even if it was completely ignoring the elephant in the room. "What's a " _Baker Act_ "?" The vice principal asked.

Kobayakawa looked up from his papers, annoyed he had to answer even this. "It's something in America that allows doctors and other healthcare officials to hold someone involuntarily for up to seventy-two hours in a hospital for various mental health reasons…"

"So suicide…."

"Yes…" The principal confirmed. He looked back to the papers, and read off the rest of what it said. "Depression… The attempted suicide… He hangs around a bad crowd back in his American school… His parents are apparently a big factor into this behaviour, and his psychiatrist has often tried to prescribe antidepressants only for his mother to turn it all down. They apparently fight and argue and break things… All according to what he's told his therapist, of course." He explained to the vice principal, who only listened and shook his head at the horrible situation he's gone through.

"Aside from the attempted suicide, how can any of that be a detriment to our school?" The vice principal asked. "And more importantly, I'm not sure it's legal that you did this…"

"Don't worry about legality. My friend can find loopholes." The principal told him. "But that's not the issue here. According to these documents, he is still not mentally sound. It seems he has " _episodes"_ as well. Episodes where he'll cry and carry on for hours and hours on end if anything triggers him, be it words, images, or dreams. He's even broken down with his therapist before and ran into the bathroom to bawl his eyes out."

"My word…." The vice principal murmured, shaking his head and imagining a scene like that playing out at Shujin Academy. "I can see the worry you have in that. If he has an episode… what if he hurts someone? O-or himself?"

"That's what I'm worried about too. The media will eat that up and make us look even worse!" The principal announced aloud. "It'll look as if we care nothing at all for the mental health of our students!"

"Hold on, hold on… Does the document say anything else regarding his mental state? Anything positive about it?"

The principal then scanned the document, and made a loud huff as he found something tucked away at the bottom.

"Yes, it says here that, while he is not mentally sound, he has been making progress these past few months regarding his triggers…. But that's all it says."

"No concrete evidence that he won't relapse then, huh?" The vice principal asked. Silence suddenly prevailed in the room as the two started thinking. Kobayakawa was thinking of how unlucky he has been in protecting his school's image, while the vice principal thought of immediate solutions, be it a band-aid or a downright stitch to the situation. As they lost themselves in thought, they didn't realize that the door was cracked open. A single, little brown eye was peering in.

There was an eavesdropper.

* * *

The day had ended pretty quickly after lunch for Arthur. It went by even faster with the discovery of a new friend. They chatted in between the classes, mostly Arthur humoring Ichisake with facts about America. Rumors that Ichisake heard, some things he had asked Arthur, who answered with " _False._ " while others were " _Fact._ ". Ichisake was delighted in everything that Arthur answered, and the two even walked to the station together when school had ended.

However, that is where they had to part ways. Ichisake lived in a residential area east of Aoyama-Itchome and had to get on a different train, whereas Arthur had to take the train to Shibuya. The ride itself was pretty boring, and his phone even buzzed again with no notification showing itself. When it happened, he felt that he couldn't ignore it any further and looked as deep into his phone as he could to find out what the cause was. The whole search took up his time on the train and he nearly missed his stop. He couldn't find anything to indicate the random buzzing.

As he was walking up the steps, asking for directions where he could and memorizing what each station attendant told him, he remembered his guardian having told him to stop by the underground mall and find a school bag of some sort to take with him. It took him a good while, but he found the underground mall.

He found it quite like the malls back in the home country. Despite how small the place looked, it was packed with all sorts of people. Men, women, teens, adults, cops, busy looking officials. Anyone looked like they belonged here. The shops they had were quite diverse too, from a simple flower boutique to differing jewelry stores. Fashion shops, shoe stores, sporting goods, this mall had it all.

As he perused the mall, he picked over the various shops and boutiques until he found a shop that had a bag that caught his eye. It was a black and orange bag with a volleyball emblem on it. It really caught his eye due to the colors, despite the fact he wasn't into volleyball. He looked it over for a price tag and when he saw that it was well within his price range, he decided " _Well, I could scrape the emblem off…Or even just put something over it._ ".

As he grabbed hold of the strap, another hand grabbed the bag as well, and at first he was surprised. He looked up to see who had shared his interest. A blonde-haired girl with long pigtails with a Shujin blazer over a white varsity jacket. She looked up at him in surprise, and for a moment they were just quiet amidst the sounds of the mall.

Arthur retracted his hand as did she, and the awkwardness of the moment blossomed further.

"I'm sorry." She apologized suddenly, breaking the awkward silence between them. "Were you…. Wanting that bag?"

"I like the colors." Arthur told her, placing his hands in his pockets and watching as she awkwardly fiddled in place. "Not so much the volleyball emblem though."

"Ah… Well, you mind if I have it then? It's for a friend." She asked.

Arthur looked between her and the bag for a brief moment. "Uh, go ahead. I can find others." He allowed. He didn't need much convincing to allow a kindness such as this. She smiled and thanked Arthur. He stepped away as she put the bag under her arm and turned away. Arthur himself turned towards other bags, determined to find something to suit his tastes. The girl couldn't help but look back at him, realizing exactly what it was that he wore. She faced him and surprised him with a question.

"You're a Shujin student?" She asked, looking over his uniform with an eye that was equally inquisitive as it was surprised. Arthur looked back at her and felt the same surprise to see her still standing there. Facing her fully, he nodded.

"Yeah, a third year." He said, confirming her suspicions. "You go there too?"

"Mmhmm. I'm a second year…." She solidly affirmed. "You don't look like you're from around here, though…" She then added, leaning to her left as she looked him up and down.

"Neither do you, blondie." Arthur grinned. The girl blinked for a second, then giggled lightheartedly as he pointed out the obvious.

"I guess I do stand out as well." She said, referencing her blue eyes and blonde hair. "But… Your accent… It sounds American… Plus you have those green eyes and that bright brown hair… Did you just move here?"

"No, I'm a foreign exchange student actually. Just arrived yesterday." Arthur answered, adjusting his glasses as they began sliding down his nose. The girl looked at him, as if surprised by the news he presented.

"Huh… Didn't know we had a foreign exchange student…" She murmured under her breath, but quickly apologized when she realized that sounded a bit disrespectful. "S-sorry, I-I mean… Well, with everything that's going on… I guess your arrival was overshadowed." She stumbled, a tad mad at herself for basically saying he was small news.

"Don't worry about it. I'd prefer to remain out of the spotlight anyways. Makes my life easier." Arthur smiled. It was a warm smile, and a comforting one. One that the girl wished she could see everyday from the people she knew, and the people she cared for. The girl returned the gift of his smile with one of her own.

"Right… Well." She said, extending a hand outwards towards. "I'm Ann Takamaki."

Arthur looked at her a moment before slowly returning the gesture, unsure of the sudden interest people have been having in him. But he knew that, unlike in America, being American is enough to be a conversation starter. That's part of the reason Ichisake started talking to him, if not the full reason.

"I'm, uh, Arthur. Arthur Williams."

"Wow, firm grip." Ann said, commenting on the grip of his handshake. She retracted her hand, shaking the dull irritation of his firm handshake off while smiling and offering him a goodbye. "It was nice meeting you."

"Likewise, Takamaki-san. Maybe I'll see you around the school." He returned, and she flashed a toothy grin at him as she turned away, walking up to the register to purchase the bag he had let her acquire.

Arthur couldn't keep himself from smiling. Despite feeling insecure about the interest people were having in him, he couldn't help but feel happy that he was actually meeting people in Japan compared to his life back in America, where his only friends were people with bad habits and actions.

And even better, they were the ones who were approaching him. That alone made him feel a whole lot better.

He gazed back at the selection of bags before him, and he couldn't help but rub his chin in thought. He was unsure of what he wanted now, since the first good looking bag he saw was spoken for.

"Now what do I want….?"

* * *

_"I heard it from the principal himself…"_

_"What? The foreign exchange student? I didn't even know we had one…"_

_"Depression… Suicide…. If you mention his parents, he freaks out and attacks you…"_

_"First a delinquent, now a crazy? What's this school doing, letting people like them here? I mean goddamn..."_

_"What about that honor student? I saw her talking to the delinquent just the other day…"_

_"The delinquent's old news, really. I wanna hear more about this foreign exchange student…"_

_"He's American, about yay-high, third year…. Can't miss him. Just don't associate with him. He's fucking nuts from what I heard."_

_"I...I… I really don't care… I'm going to Big Bang Burger, do you guys wanna come? Or don't, if you're gonna be this negative."_

* * *

Closing the door behind him, Arthur sighed and kicked his shoes off by the door. The apartment was at a nice temperature compared to outside, and he felt it the second he walked in. It added to the fatigue he felt. Undoing the buttons on his button up, he sat down on the sofa and exhaled a breath of relief that he survived his first day in an alien land.

The customs the students had throughout the day really took him off guard. His studying for his year here in Japan didn't prepare him enough and he found himself struggling to keep up. He thanked his lucky stars that Ichisake was there to guide him when he fouled up. Everything felt different than America, including even getting lunch.

Was it just his imagination, though? Or just the sudden fatigue he felt on his walk home playing with his mind?

Arthur closed his eyes, not even finding the energy to think properly.

He couldn't find a bag he liked, most of them were either pure black or complete white. Even though the black wouldn't show dirt, he didn't want something so dull like white or black. The black and orange bag was the only one that stood out to him, and he let that ship sail out of the kindness of his own heart.

"I guess I'll just have to find one tomorrow…" He murmured exhaustedly.

Just as he said that, he heard a familiar voice call out from another room.

"Arthur! Arthur! Is that you?!"

It was Himura, calling out from his bedroom.

Arthur sighed, not even wanting to raise his voice, before responding with a "Yeah."

Himura exited his room, surprised to see Arthur so tired on the sofa. He chuckled lightheartedly.

"What? Can't stand Japanese schooling?" He asked.

Arthur shook his head. "No, that's not it. Just fumbled through the day really and I just got tired of it. It really hit me when I got on our street, though. I feel like a nap…" Arthur said with a yawn. He collapsed to his side, finding the sofa incredibly comfortable. Almost like a cloud.

Himura clicked his tongue, trying to think of something to ask. It dawned on him moments later, after a small silence prevailed between the two.

"Well, how _was_ the day?" Himura asked. He actually was genuinely interested in figuring out how Arthur got on on his first day. He was his guardian and friend, after all.

"I made a friend." Arthur told him, shutting his eyes as he lay there on the sofa. He yawned again, rolling onto his back and huffing at the comfort he found himself in.

Himura smiled and told Arthur "Good on you, kid. Get in good now while you're new. In a few months, maybe even weeks, you'll become old news." Himura told him. Arthur wasn't worried though. His encounter with a girl named Ann today told him that he was already small news, and he didn't mind it in the slightest. He stayed silent as Himura watched him, and Himura just shook his head.

"Goddamn, how lazy are the American schools?" He shook his head, murmuring in disgust before adding "Well, kid. I'm afraid I won't be able to show you around tomorrow. I got called into work for the day. They didn't like what I did today so now I'm paying the price. Don't stay up too late now, y'hear? As for me, I'm gonna head to bed. Dinners in the freezer. Help yourself to whatever." He said, turning around into his bedroom. He closed the door behind him, leaving Arthur alone in his tired state on the cloud-like sofa.

But Arthur couldn't keep himself awake long, nor could he even struggle to keep his eyes open.

Just as fast as Himura shut the light off in his own bedroom, Arthur drifted off into a blissful, silent nap.

But as his brain clocked out of reality...

He felt a small buzz in his pocket...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Proof read and edited by a friend named Frozen Foe on my Discord server.


	5. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "The time has come. He is ready for the first step."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would like to take a moment to point out that I do indeed read and take into account EVERY opinion I see on both FF.net and Ao3. My current favorite one so far is the review that is, all in lowercase, just "yes." on FF.net. Says enough in just one word.
> 
> However, I will address one concern. I do realize I haven't given Ichisake or Himura enough screen time or a reason for the reader to get attached to them. Well, I discussed that with my editor, and we've come up with a way to do just that. Chapter 5, at the time of this chapter's posting, is in the works and will focus solely on getting the plot set up for the first act of the book. These first four chapters have been building Arthur up and introducing the new characters. After chapter 5, we will slow down and give the reader some time to get to know Ichisake and Himura and MAYBE Sakutaro.
> 
> Now, without further adieu, please enjoy the chapter.

School ended just the same as yesterday, minus the fatigue he felt when he arrived home.

He wasn't home long, either. Just long enough to change out of his uniform and into something more outgoing.

A small orange polo with blue jeans.

His guardian, Himura, was still at work. Even though he had agreed to take Arthur out into Shibuya today, work had other plans for him. And so Arthur resolved to learn the lay of the land himself. He made sure his phone was fully charged before he left in case he needed navigation through the dense streets of Tokyo.

At school, the day itself felt different than the days prior. Everyone was quiet around him, more so than yesterday. He felt eyes on him at all times, and when he would pass by groups of students they would suddenly silence themselves until he was perceived to be out of earshot. When he was tasked by his teacher to go to the library, it was dead silent the second he entered. If a pen dropped, it would've echoed.

Of course, he chalked that up to it being a library.

He was fine with this, though. The less of a center of attention he was, the easier his life would be he had figured.

Ichisake was the only student who talked to him today, and he didn't see Ann at all except at lunch, hanging out with two boys he noticed yesterday. He opted not to intrude, since he barely knew her. Her friends? He didn't even know their names.

"What's going on?" Ichisake had asked him, aware of the sudden change in climate when Arthur would show his face anywhere. "It's like everyone's about to…. Err…. How do you Americans put it? " _Shit a brick_ "?"

Arthur then laughed, commending him for being close with the saying before adding "I don't know."

At lunch, they discussed after school plans, and the two decided to meet up in Shibuya, and Ichisake was going to show him around in place of Himura. Arthur was actually excited. He didn't expect to get on so well with anyone in Japan, especially this fast. Ichisake seemed to be an honorable student as well, a stark contrast to the only people back home who would associate with him.

He couldn't keep himself from smiling, despite the horrible night he had prior.

He woke up from his nap last night near seven in the evening, tearful and sweating. A horrible nightmare had plagued him in his sleep, one where he had witnessed someone die right in front of him.

_Again._

He nearly didn't fall back asleep, not until midnight was he able to shut his eyes again. In between his awakening and midnight he kept himself on the sofa, trying to watch TV and forget the dream. But it remained on his mind, and from time to time he would fall into silent tears. Not until an hour before midnight was he able to regain full control of his emotions and force himself to drop from his mind all that had transpired in his sleep.

After that, the rest of his night was blissful.

Not a single bump in the night..

The same cannot be said for his time in Japan, for every night was a nightmare.

But his dreamless sleep this night went undisturbed, at least until Himura woke him early for school.

But regardless, he came to a fast, worrisome conclusion.

" _Seems my norm won't change even with my new location…_ "

He scrapped that thought from his mind, though. He had a good afternoon ahead of him, so he readied himself in silence before departing for a short walk to Station Square.

* * *

A nice sunny afternoon accompanied his walk. Following street signs and the directions of a few police officers, Arthur had arrived at Station Square at a rather busy time. Many people were coming to an fro, bustling through the square and into the streets or underground to the subway lines. Arthur had come from here on his way home, but had forgotten the way back. It wasn't as busy at the time but now it just looked to be a mess.

"Must be shift change…" Arthur mumbled under his breath.

Nearby was a bench, free for the taking and ignored by the horde of commuters and students. Looking around, Arthur could see Ichisake wasn't around yet, and decided to have a seat. For a while he just sat there, people watching. As he observed the people, he couldn't help but admire the fashion the people of Japan sported, with different articles of clothing being worn by people of different backgrounds. Some people walked around as if they were from the country, while others could easily show that they were city-folk through and through.

Unlike in America, where people would walk into super stores in nothing but confederate flag undergarments and wear skirts and corsets in the winter.

He shook his head, realizing that people in America were silly compared to the Japanese, who took decency and fashion trends to match their perception of honor.

As he waited, he eventually got bored of watching the people pass by him and instead opted to pull out his phone.

Time passed by even quicker as he looked over local news articles, all in Japanese. Scrolling through the virtual newsstand, one article in particular caught his attention more than the rest.

An article on the phenomenon he's been hearing so much about.

These " _Phantom Thieves_ ".

The article was titled " _Phantom Thieves? Real or Not_?" and was published by a local news broadcasting station, the name of which wasn't familiar to Arthur. He couldn't help but satiate his curiosity, and he decided to read it.

It talked about the Phantom Thieves and their " _judgement call_ " on a former Shujin teacher named Suguru Kamoshida. Same news as before, sexual harassment and physical abuse. Arthur was not all surprised to see paragraphs mentioning those heinous crimes. But what he wanted to hear was the Phantom Thieves. According to the article, students arrived one morning to find that " _calling cards_ " were posted all around the school claiming that the Phantom Thieves would " _steal his distorted desires_ ".

"How fantastical…" Arthur mumbled, thumbing through the article. It didn't mention who the culprits behind the threat were, nor was there an update after Kamoshida confessed his crimes to the public. But there were plenty more articles talking about that, all he had to do was find them.

Arthur sighed as he understood he wasn't coming any closer to figuring out what had happened before his arrival.

He glanced up from his phone, suddenly spotting someone in his peripheral that looked vaguely familiar. Standing out amidst the crowd was a pair of boys, walking by Arthur like it was no one's business. It was hard, but he remembered them from earlier today. He was eating lunch outside in the courtyard with Ichisake when they both as well as Ann walked in on the two of them by the vending machines. The blonde looked at them both before just walking away, the frizzy haired boy and Ann in tow.

As the two walked further and further away, Arthur noticed an abnormality with the one of them.

A cat was hanging out the frizzy haired boy's bag, looking around at its surroundings before landing its gaze on him.

" _Odd…_ " Arthur thought for a moment, scrunching his brow as he watched. The cat yawned, and for a moment it looked like it was going to plummet out of the bag. But instead it just receded into the bag, with no one but Arthur noticing." _Whatever floats his boat, I guess…_ " Arthur shrugged.

But just as they had disappeared from sight, another familiar face passed by.

To his surprise, it was the red eyed girl from his class but instead of her school uniform she was donning a blue coat with a black turtleneck underneath coupled with black leggings. She stopped a few feet from him, casually looking around as if she was trying to locate something, or someone. But a distinct huff betrayed her annoyance, and signaled to Arthur that she couldn't find what she was looking for.

He set his phone down and observed, slightly interested in seeing what this was about. Why she was following the same path the two boys took.

Unfortunately for him though, she didn't hang around for long as she quickly went the same way the boys from earlier went. Soon she too was out of sight, having vanished into the ever growing crowd of Station Square.

He shook his head, wondering silently what that was all about.

"Arthur!" He heard from nearby. Arthur perked up, recognizing the voice to be that of his friend. He looked up, witnessing a young man with braces and a white t-shirt running up to him. "I was looking for you all through the subway! Turns out you were up here, eh?" Ichisake said, smiling as Arthur put his phone away. "Waiting long?" He asked.

Arthur smiled. He was finally gonna get to see what Shibuya truly had to offer.

* * *

Ichisake led Arthur all around Central Street. Showing him all sorts of different locales and interesting hotspots. From the diner to the arcade, from the theater to a back alley airsoft shop. A bookstore, a fast food place, a DVD rental shop.. That was only the tip of the iceberg when it came to Central Street.

There were so many different types of people there, too. Japanese, Americans, Brits, French, Chinese… So many different people, all crammed together on one street. A whole melting pot of cultures and creeds, like America itself. But unlike America, everyone here was polite to one another and no one tried causing trouble to the person passing them by. No one tried to intrude on anyone's business, and no one was trying to pick any fights.

Everyone tolerated each other.

Arthur smiled knowing this, as it is a calm life that lives in a stark contrast to his norm. But this is only his third day in Japan, his new norm has yet to fully be realized.

Ichisake and Arthur soon found themselves at a store called, in Japanese kanji, " _Rocinante_ ". Arthur waited outside while Ichisake fawned over a free sample outside the store. While loitering, he spotted the boys from earlier hanging around outside the arcade just a few shops over. They were just standing there, chatting and whiling away the afternoon completely oblivious to the passing of time.

Then, nearby, Arthur noticed a familiar sight. It was the red eyed girl from his class. She was standing at a payphone, acting as if she was making a phone call and doing her best to face away from the boys in particular. Occasionally she would glance over at them and, satisfied they were still there, turned back to her apparent call. They failed to notice this behaviour, and when they moved on she lingered at the phone a moment longer before following in their steps. They had entered the theater at the end of the road, and she in turn entered moments after they.

Arthur just watched, surprised no one else thought this behaviour was odd, all the while Ichisake fawned over something sweet and chocolatey. Something free too.

The young man shook his head, wondering exactly what it was she was doing. But it wasn't his business, and he didn't want to make it his either. He looked back at his friend just as he was walking up to Arthur with a few bags in tow.

"Here, bought you some too." He said, handing Arthur a bag filled with two boxes of the mystery snack. He just looked at it, unsure of what it was.

"Uh, thanks… But… What is it?" He asked Ichisake, who just simply flashed him a metallic smile.

"Something I shouldn't be having." Ichisake answered, pointing to his braces. "But that's to the extent of my knowledge, Arthur. It's chocolatey, it's sweet, and it's got taffy in it! I thought you might want some."

Arthur cut his gaze between the young man and the candy in his bag. For a moment he didn't know what to think, and just shook his head.

"Chocolate…. Taffy?" Arthur slowly echoed, looking in the bag. "What… **the** fuck?"

Ichisake laughed at Arthur's reaction and tried to ease his worries on it. That it tasted better than it sounded. Arthur looked at him, and quietly decided to go with the whole idea. He also decided that, if he didn't like it, he'd just throw it away or give it to Himura. Ichisake didn't have to know.

For a time after, the duo perused around Central Street some more to let Arthur get a good grasp of the city. He was in true awe at the sights he saw, tall buildings and friendly people. Great food, and many places to go and things to do. A complete opposite to his home outside Seattle.

"What the hell is " _Big Bang Burger_ "?" Arthur asked, staring quizzically up at the orange and yellow building before him. A large decal of a burger flying through space stood on the windows, and the sliding glass doors basically stayed open at all times with the amount of people who came and went. His friend chuckled and threw an arm over his shoulders.

"This, my friend…" He started, gesturing to the whole building in front of them. "...is the best goddamn fast food restaurant in Shibuya. Big Bang Burger, my man."

Arthur just looked at the name, and for a moment he just stood there in dumbfounded silence. Ichisake noticed, and he looked at Arthur with a cheeky grin. "What?"

"The name… Jesus Christ…" Arthur chuckled under his breath. "Sounds like a child named it."

Before they both realized it, nighttime was only an hour away. The fact it crept up on them without either of them realizing showed Arthur just how much fun he really was having, even though in reality he was just taking little more than a tour.

Ichisake suggested they make their way back to the subway station, but Arthur reminded him that he lives in Shibuya. He doesn't need to take the subway, but still offered to walk him back to the station.

They arrived to find it quiet, there was still a good amount of people wandering about and loitering, but not to the same extent as earlier in the afternoon. Ichisake shook Arthur's hand, thanking him for coming out today.

"But next time you're gonna buy me something." Ichisake promised him, grinning widely.

"In a heartbeat, man. Take care." Arthur returned the gesture before seeing him off into the subway. Arthur himself, having no more business to be out this late, decided to walk home. He didn't stop anywhere, nor did he loiter at any pedestrian lights. Arthur didn't know the curfew for teenagers in Tokyo, and would rather not stick around to find out.

He smiled, excited that things have been going so well in the short time he's been in the country.

* * *

" _I saw him in Central Street on Saturday, parading around with that nerd, Miyara…"_

" _What's Miyara-san doing with him?! I always thought Miyara-san was kinda sweet…"_

" _Rumor has it the principal is gonna send him to Maruki. Don't know if that'll make him less crazy…"_

" _If Miyara wants to hang out with that psycho, then let him. It's his ass."_

" _None of this really affects me, but I heard the school board is planning something for the thirtieth…"_

" _Really? What is it? Will it be fun?"_

* * *

The following school week was nearly the same as Saturday's. Ichisake was there, as was the teacher Mr. Sakutaro. Only one of them really paid Arthur any mind, and it certainly wasn't the teacher.

Then there was the utter quiet Arthur faced wherever he went.

It was eerie. As if his presence was foreboding to the students. Sometimes when he and Ichisake walked the halls, the voices of students all around would quiet down into whispers, and when Arthur would look over his shoulder at any gossipers, they would give a frightened mewl and turn away from his gaze. Arthur thought the behavior was odd, and sometimes Ichisake would even pick up on it with a light hearted joke.

"Maybe your American charm is too much for the ladies?" He joked, causing Arthur to mildly grin amidst his uneasiness.

Ichisake, for some reason, remained really friendly towards Arthur. Ever since the day they met, they've always been spending their lunches together. Always walked to the subway together. Ichisake would always seek him out during the morning before class began, and on Wednesday he even waited for Arthur at the Shibuya subway before transferring to another line.

Arthur was quick to deduce the reasoning behind Ichisake's behaviour, and that it was because of a simple reason.

He may not have had any friends prior to Arthur's arrival.

Arthur knew all too well that pain and decided not to ask him, knowing that he himself had gone through such a painful time back in his middle school days. No one would ever want to be reminded of it.

When they chatted, they often learned of one another. Arthur learned that Ichisake was a computer geek himself. Often working with photo editing software to produce things he would post in online forums for no other reason than just to do it. Ichisake was also really into American culture and their television shows and games. Games like The Ancient Scrolls and the old Medal of Valor games.

It was to no surprise to Arthur, who had figured as much when Ichisake kept pressing him for answers on various American topics.

But when he was pressed into his own background, Arthur was a bit more hesitant to speak. Especially when the word " _background_ " was used. But he talked about his interests almost completely willingly. It took Ichisake a day to get Arthur to open up about himself.

Arthur had explained to him his deep Irish roots, and that his parents were Northern Irish immigrants to the United States and he, for a long time, spoke with a Northern Irish accent in his youth before he adopted an American accent to fit in at his schools.

"Ah, can you still do your Irish?" Ichisake had asked, curious to see if his friend can pull off the accent he says he was born with. Arthur smiled, cracking his neck as he asked which language would he have to do it in. "Well, I suppose it would be hard in Japanese… Do it in English. I know a little of your language."

Arthur then cleared his throat, keeping Ichisake in suspense for a moment before he spoke in a clear Northern Irish accent for his Japanese friends' enjoyment. "G'day, my ol' mucker. Hope this mornin' yah havin' is treatin' yah well, yah?"

Other things Arthur claimed to be good at were things such as cooking, shooting, and fencing. The latter two being the only things Ichisake was interested in Arthur talking about when mentioned.

The conversations the two had would last for entire lunch periods, never ceasing to be dull. Always a learning experience for one of the two, if not both.

Ichisake was basically, as some people who Arthur would overhear, fanboying over Arthur. Arthur didn't mind though. The young man truly seemed interested in pursuing a friendship with Arthur, and he seemed honest. Secure. But most importantly, he seemed to have maintained a sense of integrity even with his perceived loneliness.

Something his friends back in the home country didn't have.

The week quickly rolled over to a Friday, in the month of May. The date was the 27th, and the day was like any other in the week. It was lunchtime, Arthur and Ichisake had found their way to the courtyard. Arthur didn't like eating outside, but Ichisake insisted. Arthur couldn't complain, however. It seemed as though he was unwanted in the cafeteria. Most students avoided him, while others whispered behind his back.

When they arrived at the little cubby with the vending machines, they were surprised to see that someone had beaten them there. She didn't seem to notice them at first, as she was engrossed in her little smartphone. Arthur recognized her almost immediately, as there weren't any other blonde girls that attended the school.

"Takamaki-san?" Arthur said, evoking a surprised look from Ichisake. The girl looked up from her phone to see who was calling her name, and when she spotted Arthur, her eyes went wide.

"Williams-senpai?" She asked, surprised that Arthur remembered her name. "Oh, sorry. Am I in your hangout?" She asked, setting her tray in her lap as she looked between the two young men.

"Uh, please don't call me that…" Arthur asked her, taking a step forward and setting his tray down on the nearby table. "And no, you're fine. I was just gonna ask if it's OK if me and my friend sit down here. It is alright, yes?"

"Alright…" She said, confused as to why he didn't want that honorific associated with his name. "But yeah, you two can sit here if you want. I'll just… find another spot to eat my lunch."

"We're not gonna force you out of here, Takamaki-san. Go ahead, we won't bother you." Arthur smiled at her. She just looked at him, setting her tray to the side as she returned his friendly gesture. Ichisake, itching to find out how they knew each other, finally voiced the question that was brewing in his mind.

"How do you know Takamaki-san?" Ichisake asked aloud, catching both Arthur and Ann's gaze. Arthur turned to look at him, his smile persisting and even infecting Ichisake as he listened.

"We just met last week, I've seen her around the school but we've never really had a chance to talk." He said, sitting down with his lunch - Lunch today being white rice and steamed vegetables with some kind of sauce that Arthur couldn't pinpoint.

Ichisake, satisfied with that answer, joined him. While the two ate their lunch in the peace and quiet of the courtyard, Ann chose to remain by herself. Away from the two boys she barely knew. One of them she didn't know at all.

As time passed in their quiet silence, when Arthur had finished his lunch and Ichisake was close to finishing his, Arthur's phone buzzed. He was admiring the trees planted in the courtyard when it went off, surprising him to no end. But that surprise soon transpired into annoyance, and he silently cursed his annoying, broken phone.

"Goddamn phone. What the hell's wrong with it?" Arthur murmured, slipping his phone into his hands. Ichisake looked up at him, confused.

"What?"

Arthur just looked at him, surprised he hadn't caught on. The phone's been buzzing for no reason for the past week, ever since he arrived in Japan. Its done it at times while he's been with Ichisake, seemingly for no reason as when he pulls up his phone, there is no new notification.

Arthur shook his head as he pulled up his lock screen. "Just my damn phone acting up, its been-Oh…" Arthur, befuddled and dumbfounded, was amazed to see that this time, there was a notification. Bright and clear as day on his lock screen.

It was a notification about a news publication subscription he had, announcing to him that they have just published a new article. The title of the particular article caught his eye, and he tapped it with his thumb to get a good look at what it said.

" _The Phantom Thieves Strike Again! Calling Card Received By Master Artist, Ichiryusai Madarame!"_ Arthur read aloud, stopping Ichisake in his luncheon tracks. He looked directly at Arthur, surprised Arthur said something so out of the blue. Arthur met his gaze, and frowned. "I still don't know anything about these guys, and I've been here a week now…" He noted to Ichisake, thumbing through the article to see how long it would take to read.. "Wow, this is a long article…"

"Oh yeah…. I heard about that…" Ichisake opened up, picking at his steamed veggies with his chopsticks. "Some old artist apparently received it, but I don't know… It's gotta be a prank. These things become trends, y'know? Like memes." He said.

Ann glanced up at them.

"Hmm…. It says here that… Early in the morning, around seven thirty AM, a bunch of postings with… a threat of some sort… were found posted all around some art exhibit in Shibuya." Arthur told Ichisake, eliciting a chuckle from the young man across from him.

"Yeah, that's what I heard too. But that was from word of mouth, not the web." Ichisake replied, stuffing a steamed broccoli in his mouth. "Buht…. Like aye sayd…." He tried to speak past his chewing… "Probebly ah prek…"

"Oh hey, they got a hold of one of the calling cards..." Arthur noted.

"Really?" Ichisake asked, having swallowed his food. "Does it say what the pranksters wrote?"

Arthur thumbed a little further into the article, attempting to find the quote he was looking for. He didn't have to look far, because the article had a picture of exactly what was posted. "Yeah!"

Arthur then cleared his throat, getting ready to read aloud what the Phantom Thieves said. All the while Ann watched and listened, pretending to thumb through her phone.

" _Sir Ichiryusai Madarame, a great sinner of vanity whose….talent has been exhausted."_ Arthur read slowly, as if he was reading a poem. _"You are an artist who…..uses his authority to shamelessly steal the ideas of….his pupils."_ Arthur paused a moment, reading the next few sentences in his head before continuing. This threat sounded sophisticated." _We have decided to make you confess all your crimes with your own mouth. We will take your distorted desires without fail. From, The Phantoms._ "

Ichisake huffed, picking another vegetable up with his chopsticks. "Kamoshida was funny, but I don't know… Now someone's out there using what happened to prank celebrities." He said, looking up at Arthur with a serious look in his eyes. "Some people just got way too much time on their hands…"

"I don't know." Arthur replied, reading over the threat once again. "Takamaki-san, what do you think about all this?"

"Huh?" Ann huffed, surprised to hear Arthur calling her name. She faced him fully, flustered and caught off guard. "I-I'm sorry… What are you talking about?" She asked him.

"You know, I saw her come into school late this morning." Ichisake commented, but Arthur ignored him. He was, instead, focused on Ann.

"These Phantom Thieves… Who are they? What is this all about anyways?"

"Uh…." She didn't know how to answer at first and just looked at him with a silent stare. Arthur rose a brow at her silence, but when she broke it, he just sighed. "I don't really do this occult stuff…"

"She was, as Kamoshida put it, almost a victim of his abuse too." Ichisake spoke up, catching Arthur's attention. Ann looked at him too, before sighing an exasperated sigh, annoyed that Ichisake brought it up with someone she barely knew right in front of her.

"You don't know any boundaries, huh?" She murmured. "Might as well have been, the way he was shoving himself on me…" She admitted to the duo, casting her eyes to the ground. Arthur sent his gaze back at her, surprised to hear what she said. "Made me cry a few times… But… I wasn't the one to suffer his full abuse. Someone else did because of my cowardice..." She spoke softly, almost to a murmur. She leaned back in her seat, watching the boys with downcast eyes. But they had nothing to say in return. They just looked at her, surprised and mildly upset.

Arthur frowned as he took in every word. He tried putting himself in her shoes - to no avail - but while he was thinking, it suddenly dawned on him. When they first met a week ago, she wanted a bag he was looking at. She claimed it was for a friend, and the way she had said it had hit him with some bad vibes. But he brushed it off and ignored them, opting to let her have it not out of pity, but instead out of the kindness of his heart.

Clicking his tongue, Arthur chose not to say anything, but deep down he felt a great deal of pity for her. He knew all too well what it was like to be abused.

If not physically, then at least emotionally.

Arthur couldn't blame her, though, for acting this way. If she suffered at his hands, he deserved every last year in prison.

"Oooook…." Ichisake said awkwardly, getting uncomfortable with the sad air hanging around them like fruit. He looked to Arthur, smiling in an attempt to cheer everyone up. "So, how much do you know about the Phantom Thieves, Arthur?" Ichisake asked lightheartedly. Arthur, with the sudden mention of the Phantom Thieves, perked up enough to where the emotions that were entangling him were almost nonexistent. He faced Ichisake, and answered his question with as much truth as he could muster.

"Not much." Arthur told him. "Can barely find anything online."

Ann was still watching carefully and listening to everything they said, yet she remained silent. Ichisake and Arthur failed to notice this reticence as the new topic in the room took control.

"Well, if I'm being honest…" Ichisake started, twirling his chopsticks in between his fingers. "There isn't a whole lot left you don't already know. I mean, you already know my thoughts on it and you've found everything you need out online…"

"The calling card, the abuse, the sudden " _change of heart_ "..." Arthur recalled, having investigated all of this since his first day at Shujin. He shook his head, realizing how supernatural this all sounded. "Sounds like black magic, honestly, heh." Arthur chuckled. Ichisake joined in the quiet laughter, but Ann just remained silent. Neither of the boys noticed, but she was sporting a small frown; born from their words.

"Ah, well… Madarame's likely taking this in stride too. I hear he gets slandered all the time." Ichisake added, much to the unknown growing displeasure of Ann.

"But what if he really did commit crimes that the calling card stated?" Ann suddenly asked, catching the attention of both Ichisake and Arthur. "Like I said, I'm not into this occult stuff - I got way more important things to do than worry about this crap - but what if the Phantom Thieves aren't wrong?" She asked.

The boys were silent, and all they did was stare at her. She didn't say anything, she didn't stir in place, and she barely blinked. Arthur rose a brow, confused as to why she would ask such a question when she claimed to not be interested in them to any capacity.

"Are… are you insinuating that the Phantom Thieves exist?" Arthur slowly asked. Ichisake nodded behind him, echoing his own interest in the question. But Ann said nothing. Nor did she have time to, as just as the question was asked, the bell rang, and Arthur shook his head as he stood up. "Well, whatever… Seems the Phantom Thieves need to figure out how to get us more time at lunch…"

"Hah, right?" Ichisake laughed, standing up with Arthur. "Change the heart of whoever makes the schedule. Get us more time. Hahah!"

Ann just looked at them and, shaking her head, she stood up as well. Arthur and Ichisake, disposing their trash, opted to go ahead and head straight back to class. Arthur offered her a goodbye, to which Ann just smiled at him. As Arthur departed with Ichisake, Ann quickly stopped him. Arthur met her eyes, interested to hear what Ann had to say to him..

"I don't know how you handle these things…" She said, throwing her bag over her shoulder and disposing of her trash in a nearby bin. "But don't let the rumors flying around the school get to you, OK?" She told him, eliciting a surprised chuckle from the young man. Ichisake just looked at him a moment, confused, before giving a loud " _Ooooh._ ".

"I guess that explains why people are acting weird around you…" Ichisake deduced, casting his eyes to the concrete floor as he thought about his distaste in rumors. "Filthy gossipers."

"Listen." Ann said, stepping up to Arthur with kindness in her words. "I have a friend, he was the center of gossip and horrible rumors for a while." Ann informed him before listing off everything he was rumored to have done with her fingers. "Murder, drugs, hijacking…. Uh…. Elephant…tusk trafficking…" Arthur rose a brow, especially confused with the last label. He wanted to ask, but Ann opened her mouth to continue. He didn't stop her. "He wasn't the only one though… I've gone through that hell myself….. M-my point is: Don't let these rumors get to you. I've only talked to you a couple times and I can safely say you're really nice." She flashed a comforting smile his way. Arthur returned her gesture, not really sure what to say. He's noticed people have been acting weird around him but he didn't pay it any mind. He didn't know that it was rumors being spread about him.

"Pretty soon those losers will find someone else to target, I promise you." She said "I'll see you around Williams-senpai… And… Williams' friend." She offered Arthur a polite bow before taking off towards her class. Students began to enter the courtyard, heading to their respective classes as well. Ichisake looked at Arthur, frowning.

"We'd better get going too. If people are spreading rumors about you, being seen here with Takamaki-san will only drag her into the mix." Ichisake pointed out. Arthur glanced at him, a brow rising as Arthur thought of him.

"What about you, though?" Arthur asked.

Ichisake huffed, and simply said "I don't care. People didn't talk to me anyways. Let them think what they want."

Arthur nodded, honored that Ichisake was willing to put his reputation on the line to hang out with him. Ichisake led the way back to Mr. Sakutaro's classroom, Arthur following behind a few feet As they walked, the students they passed acted much the same as they had before. Arthur, knowing the cause behind this behaviour, just sighed. Ichisake noticed, but said nothing. There was nothing that he could say to put Arthur's mind at ease besides what Ann had said earlier and as they approached their classroom, Arthur stopped him with a simple thought on his mind.

Ichisake, curious about Arthur's thoughts, inquired on it. Arthur just looked at him, asking a simple question that could not be answered at this point in time.

"I can't help but wonder…. What's been said about me?"

* * *

The sleep was blissful, at least at first.

He had nodded off on his bed, reading through articles about the Phantom Thieves and speculation on whether or not they are real when a sudden wave of exhaustion hit him like a freight train.

He passed out, the light still on in his room, his phone still in his hands.

For a moment, all he could see was darkness, what lay behind his closed lids hidden to the dream world his reality was becoming.

The blissful feeling soon departed, then his mind became jumbled. Thoughts of the day passing visually by his eyes, then memories of his past followed. His parents.

His friends.

His sibling...

Heat rose within Arthur's body, and he began to sweat in reality.

Then, the comfort of his bed felt absent. He could no longer see his thoughts. All he could see was the darkness behind his closed eyes.

He writhed in place, trying to find a comfortable position to sleep in. But it felt as if the bed was made of metal.

The air felt cold, colder than his room. And Arthur's eyes shot open, having remembered this feeling all too well as it had happened already once before.

He sat up, cutting his gaze to every part of the room. It was a familiar sight. The blue, the autopsy tables, his own white-gloved hands.

"Again?" Arthur mumbled as he took it all in. "What the hell is this dream?" He asked in English, his eyes landing on a somewhat familiar face.

The man who had called himself Igor was there, at his desk, smiling brightly and frighteningly. He was just sitting there, observing Arthur's " _awakening_ ". But Arthur didn't say anything. He just looked at him as he stood up from his uncomfortable table, or bed, as Igor might've seen it.

Arthur locked eyes with him, and for a moment longer silence prevailed in the cold of the room. Arthur couldn't help but shiver, as every moment spent staring at this man - this man called Igor - was a moment he felt pangs of fear. There was nothing about this man that seemed natural. His bulging, bloodshot eyes, his long nose, the absence of lips, his pure white teeth curled into a sadist's smile.

"You seem to be well rested…" The man suddenly said, chuckling as he watched Arthur's confusion to the situation bloom. "You even seem more alert than before…"

Arthur gasped. The voice was as deep as last time.

Igor extended a hand towards him, welcoming his return to the nonsensical dream.

"Welcome back, dear visitor…"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Proof read and edited by a friend named Frozen Foe on my Discord server.


	6. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "The Phantom Thieves are his only recourse now… If he wishes to avoid his horrible fate..."

"So." Arthur said, in complete disbelief. "It's happening again? How odd…" Arthur remarked, in complete English. He held up his hands and gazed them over, still surprised that he donned the very same outfit he had before.

It truly looked to him that he was a walking corpse.

" _But I'm still alive… What does this mean?_ "

"Have you come to realize this reality for what it is? Or do you still need time?" Igor asked, watching the young man for any sudden movements. For a moment Arthur said nothing, instead his voice dropped. His lips shivered - not from the cold - but from despair growing within him.

He looked around. There was no way this was real. No way this is a reality. A dreamworld, yes. But not a reality. Not _his_ reality.

His only dreams of late were nightmares. Varying in scope, and the worst ones send him awake within a panic with tears rolling down his cheeks.

_So what was the deal with this one?_

He was confused, and that confusion gave almost immediate rise to anger. Then that anger tangled with fear. Fear of the unknown, fear of what he did not understand.

An episode was fast approaching.

He landed his gaze on Igor, and with a quivering voice, he shouted at him.

"Just what in the hell is this?! One time was fine and dandy, but twice?! **TWICE?!** " He shouted, pointing at Igor with a trembling hand. "I… I thought I left this nightmare bullshit behind in America! What is this?!" He added, his voice failing him as he shouted at the unblinking man his unspoken questions.

Igor, however, simply watched as Arthur threw himself into a fit. He didn't do anything, nor did he move. He just watched as Arthur let loose a hidden anger that his public mask hid well from both onlookers and even himself.

"I've paid my dues! Let me free of this goddamn bullshit!" Arthur screamed at Igor. He was seething at this point, near breathless as the thought of these dreams following him to Japan infuriated him to no thought he was actually making good progress by his temporary move to Japan. But it was no thought, it was reality. He knew that well, and only now did it hit its boiling point.

He was taking in as much of the frigid air as he could, and suddenly he could no longer find the strength to stand. He collapsed to his knees, with salty tears rolling down his cheeks, and he couldn't help himself but mewl in his patheticness.

"Anger." Igor remarked with a single finger outstretched. "But it is your mental instability that is the cause for this outburst, not your weariness to your dreams. Best get it out now, before you unleash it upon the public. You wouldn't want to be - as your homeland puts it - Baker Acted again would you?" Igor asked. Arthur looked up, heaving as sweat and tears rolled down his face. Surprise took over, and his eyes were wide at the man's words.

"How...how d-do y-you know abou-about that?" Arthur asked, stumbling on his words as his breakdown hit him in full force. Igor chuckled, giving him a moment to recover from his episode before he answered the rickety question.

"You will find I know a great deal about you, Arthur Frederick Williams."

"Huh…?" Arthur grunted, staring at Igor with his tear-ridden eyes.

Igor waved him off, shaking his head and leaning forward in his seat. He tapped a finger on the table, and watched as Arthur cried on the spot.

"Pathetic." He said, watching the young man wriggle and writhe on his knees. He sighed, and added "Take a few moments to collect yourself. The night does not last forever, and we have much to discuss."

Arthur, upon hearing this, shut his eyes for a moment. The tears continued to roll away, and his quivering and trembling failed to cease. For those few moments he just sat there, shaking and crying. But he did so in silence. He could no longer understand why all the nightmares continue to occur.

Arthur sniffled, suddenly wiping his tears with his coat's sleeve. It felt soft, like a fabric completely foreign to him, and he glanced up at Igor.

"I'm sorry…" He said, watching as the weird old man stared at him with his unchanging smile.

"I am not here to discuss your mental instability. In due time, you will overcome this." Igor relayed to him. "Salvation requires it."

"You...said something about " _salvation_ " last time…"Arthur told him, struggling to his feet with absent energy. He used most of it to scream at Igor, and Igor only found amusement with his struggling. "I...I've ne-never seen a dream where…where the dream remembers…"

"So you still have not come to the proper conclusion…?" Igor asked, shaking his head further in disappointment. "And yet you are supposed to be clever… How disappointing. Tell me, does this really seem like a dream? You are completely lucid… Are you an experienced lucid dreamer?"

Arthur looked at him, still stumbling and struggling to his feet. He was having an unsuccessful time, but even so he managed to garner the strength to think. When he was able to get on both feet, he looked around in response. From his table to Igor to his hands. It was then it hit him.

Igor was right. Arthur was lucid, just as last time. He even remembered last time clearly, despite chalking it up to a weird one-off dream. Everything is so clear, so real… The clothing he wore, the temperature of the air, the cold metal of the table he was now leaning on…

The fear of the unknown man...

_It all felt real._

Seeing is believing, and Arthur was slowly beginning to believe what Igor was telling him.

But part of Arthur didn't want to believe. He was a man of science, and this being real would go against everything science taught him.

Arthur didn't speak, he just let out an exasperated sigh and a shake of his head told Igor that the seeds have been planted in Arthur's mind. That was enough for Igor to be satisfied.

_For now._

"While there is no need to believe it all for now, you must eventually come to accept this reality. Salvation requires it." Igor repeated, much to Arthur's meek chagrin. He used the word " _salvation_ " again. Arthur couldn't help but wonder what the meaning behind the word was.

"What is this " _salvation_ " you keep mentioning?"

Igor slowly chuckled deeply, much to Arthur's discomfort. Any joy or amusement Igor took in Arthur's confusion was off putting. It didn't help Arthur any with the fact that he just had an episode and his mind is jumbled, although the episode was rather minor compared to those he has had. Igor knew this, and Arthur knew this.

But Igor also knew there was no need for Arthur to understand what he must achieve just yet.

"You will find out in due time, dear Arthur." Igor told him, eliciting a huff from the young man as he cast his eyes to the blue flooring below. For a moment they sat in silence, a peaceful music that deafened all who would hear it.

Igor, meanwhile, placed a card on the desk in front him. Slipped from his sleeve, and then did nothing more.

The card was depicting a shield. A shield protecting a group of people in the background from an imminent, unseen threat. The design looked unique, but Arthur didn't know what it meant. It could've been a fancy playing card for all he knew. But something stood out to him.

Foreign words were emblazoned on it, in a fancy font:

_**Le Gardien.** _

Arthur huffed, unsure of what it meant as he turned his attention on Igor.

"Why am I here, then?" He asked the bizarre old man, wiping away a rogue tear from his eyes. "Why are you taunting me with these… dreams?"

"You mistake the nightmares as my doing. It is not so." Igor told him, unfolding more cards onto the table before him. All of them with different unique designs and depictions. Stars, the moon, the sun, a pope, a man hanging upside down. But the shield card was at the head of them all. "The world is not as it should be, dear Arthur. It is filled with distortion, and ruin can no longer be avoided." He told him, watching Arthur for any reaction to these words.

The only emotion Arthur betrayed was complete confusion.

Igor took his silence as an invitation to continue.

"But…" Igor slid his hands over the neatly placed cards, and a good number of them had disappeared into his palm. "A group of rebels, led by a prisoner of fate, have opted to refuse this fact. Instead, they choose to rebel against fate, and are fighting at this very moment. Fighting against the coming ruin, fighting against the extreme distortion commonplace in your world."

Arthur didn't understand any of this, but he knew he had no choice but to listen. Igor continued, extending his arm towards the shield card.

"The Chariot." Igor said, laying a card next to the shield card.

"The Lovers." Igor continued, setting a card opposite of where he laid the Chariot card.

"The Emperor." Igor placed another card, this time next to where the Chariot card sat.

"The Magician." This card went next to the Lovers, forming a neat row of cards going across the table.

"And The World." Igor set this card above the shield card and it looked, from Arthur's point of a view, like an arch of some sorts, with the shield card forming the foundation and The World card forming the actual arch.

Arthur leaned off his table, stepping forward towards Igor to get a better look at the cards. Igor observed eagerly, and gestured to the cards before him with his unfailing sadistic looking smile. "These cards represent those rebels."

"But…." Arthur asked, leaning on the desk before him and examining each card physically. It told him nothing, and he wasn't familiar with any of these cards. They didn't look like playing cards, either. "Who are they, then? These tell me nothing…"

"I believe your world calls them "The _Phantom Thieves_ "…." Igor answered. Arthur gasped, surprised to hear that even this bizarre man knows of the Phantom Thieves. Arthur shot his gaze up at Igor, lost in shocked disbelief. "You know of them, you've spent your entire first week in the land of the rising sun searching to satiate your curiosity in this occult topic. I brought you here because I believe you are ready for the first step."

Arthur couldn't say anything, mainly because he knew Igor was right. He spent a lot of time so far trying to figure out what they were about and what the media frenzy surrounding them meant. The internet and Ichisake could only tell him so much, though.

Igor swiped his hand over the cards on his desk, and they vanished without so much as a trace. As quickly as they came, they had left. Leaving Arthur confused and scared.

This whole experience was a frightening one at that. If this was a dream, he didn't know what to make of it.

"Seek out these Phantom Thieves. Befriend them." Igor commanded him, snapping his fingers as he spoke. Arthur, even though he didn't understand what all this meant, nodded as he backed away from the desk. Suddenly, a wave of exhaustion hit him like a large stone, and his eyelids began to grow increasingly heavy. Igor chuckled, amused that the young man was putting up a fight to the sandman's spell. "When you have done so, we will meet again. Do not tarry. This step is crucial in avoiding your horrible fate, dear Arthur."

Arthur, the exhaustion becoming too heavy to handle, bent and fell backwards.

But he didn't feel any pain from the fall, instead he felt as if he was falling through thin air. He couldn't open his eyes, nor could he find the will or means to scream in terror.

Instead, he just fell. Fell through darkness, and through cold air.

A terrifying freefall in the freezing cold, sinister and mysterious as he perceived Igor to be.

Then, as quickly as that feeling washed over him, everything went still.

The cold air vanished, replaced by a warm, cozy feeling.

His lips no longer quivered.

And he no longer felt fabric on his hands.

A door opened, and he heard a voice call to him.

"Arthur, get up kid. I made some breakfast."

* * *

The train was crowded as always.

So many different people, of differing ages, of different backgrounds and with different roles in society, all crammed together in such a tiny, fast moving tin can. Like anchovies, only they weren't destined for a pizzeria.

Arthur sighed, rubbing his head and staring at the phone in his hands.

Ichisake had texted him, told him that he had missed the train and he might be late since it'll be a while before it comes back around. His parents aren't home to take him either, so he has no choice but to wait.

Arthur sighed. It seemed today was going to be a quiet day by himself.

The rumors that are apparently following him being his only companion when no one else would step up to the plate.

As he thumbed up a reply, he couldn't help but think of the dream he had last night.

The bizarre old man...

The episode he had in his own sleep; something he remembers clearly.

This supposed " _salvation_ " he is supposed to achieve…

He didn't understand it.

He was instructed to seek out these Phantom Thieves…

_"A Chariot?"_

_"An Emperor?"_

It didn't make sense to him.

But he has had this dream before, and the bizarre old man named Igor seemed to have remembered their previous exchange. Dreams do not remember the past incarnations, Arthur knew this much. A man of science, Arthur was stumped. But he tried not to let it get to him.

A dream was a dream. Nothing more.

Dreams do not foretell the future.

Dreams do not warn of an imminent danger.

Dreams do not carry the weight of prophecy.

He shook his head, trying to get the thoughts out of his head. The dream has come and gone, there was no need to expound on the thought any longer.

As he sent his text, he was unaware of the young man sitting next to him.

He was equally quiet, and equally invested in his own texting.

By his side sat a bag with the Shujin emblem on it, and occasionally it would move as if something living was inside of it. Arthur didn't notice it. Nor did he notice when the young man glanced over at him. He looked away briefly, his stare landing back on his phone as if he didn't particularly care about Arthur's presence. But suddenly his eyes shot up, and slowly he panned his gaze back at the young American. Arthur continued not to notice. At least, not until the young man said something.

"I've heard about you." He said, his voice sounding average and for a split moment Arthur wasn't sure he was talking to him, or someone nearby was speaking to someone else. Arthur's eyes swiveled to the edge of his sockets before he faced him entirely, realizing he was indeed speaking to him.

The young man looked rather hip, and sorta familiar, with black framed glasses and frizzy black hair, dark grey eyes, and a Shujin uniform that looks very much like Arthur's.

"You're that American foreign exchange student?" He asked, cocking his head at the question he posed. Arthur, for a moment, didn't say anything. He just looked at him, trying to figure out where he had seen the young man before him in the past. Unfortunately no memory came to light, and he simply nodded at the question posed to him. "I thought so, you don't look like you're from around here."

Arthur continued to stare at him, unsure of what to say.

The young man's grey eyes suddenly went wide, realizing that he was coming across as a weirdo. "Oh, my apologies. I'm Ren. Ren Amamiya." He extended a hand towards Arthur, one that Arthur took, although uneasily. "I'm a second year at Shujin, and from the looks of your clothes, you are a third year.

"That is correct… I'm Arthur. Arthur Williams." Arthur told him. He gripped Ren's hand tightly, tight enough that Ren had to retract it and even shake off the discomfort. That was enough to get Arthur to smile through his uneasiness with this encounter.

"Forgive me, senpai." Ren said, ignoring the tight grip he faced. "But your accent is atrocious." He noted, giving Arthur more cause to smile even though it was a joke at his expense.

"Please, uh, don't call me senpai. Williams is fine." Arthur waved him off, looking back at his phone when the notification sounded off. Ren paused a moment to allow Arthur to answer his text before saying anything further.

"As you wish, Williams-san." Ren said when Arthur sat his phone down. "I didn't think I'd meet you myself, honestly. I guess we live in a small world."

"I guess." Arthur hesitantly agreed. Something was on his mind since Ren said something to him and perhaps even before that. Ren said that " _he had heard_ " about Arthur. Coupled with what Ann said yesterday and the behavior of the students of Shujin around Arthur, a question sprung to mind. "Uh, you said you had " _heard_ " about me….? H-how exactly?" Arthur asked him suddenly, causing Ren to just go " _Huh_ …".

"You… You haven't heard the rumors? They've been spreading around like wildfire Williams-san." Ren informed him, quite surprised Arthur wasn't in the know about this. It did concern him, after all.

"Yeah, a girl told me about that yesterday…." Arthur sighed. He shut his phone off and slid it into his pocket. "Not even my buddy could tell me about them, I think he's caught up in the rumors too…" Arthur vocally deduced, since Ichisake knew nothing of the rumors himself in the first place.

Ren nodded, confirming Arthur's suspicions. Ren looked as if he were genuinely upset at the turn of events plaguing Arthur, and Arthur noticed. It was a relief seeing that Ren didn't think any less of him with what's going around the school.

But he couldn't help but wonder what's being said behind his back. He narrowed his eyes at the very thought.

"I'm sorry that this is happening to you." Ren apologized, turning away from Arthur with the intent to check his phone. But Arthur stopped him.

"What's been said?" Arthur asked, watching Ren for any reaction to the question. Ren just opened his mouth, unsure of what to say. It seemed odd to him that Arthur doesn't know anything about the situation, as Ren himself had gone through a similar ordeal not that long ago. He knew of the rumors himself, and had heard many many many different things just by walking the halls.

But Arthur seemingly knew nothing.

Ren was more than surprised. He was downright befuddled.

"Uh…" Ren went, unsure of how to answer at first. But it looked to him that Arthur was genuinely curious for his answer, and Ren simply shook his head. In his eyes, either Arthur was blissfully unaware, or he didn't pay attention. "Well… People are saying you are….crazy?"

Arthur's eyes opened wide at this revelation. He wanted to not be surprised by this, as he had been labeled back in the home country for his instability. He didn't think it would follow him here.

"That you…attack people who mention your parents… That you've been institutionalized in a mental ward… Some say the only reason Miyara-senpai is friends with you because he triggered you and now he's afraid of you… But that's to the extent of my knowledge." Ren added, wording each admittance carefully. Arthur could tell he wasn't trying to offend him, but at the same time he knew Ren was watching his steps.

Arthur actually appreciated it. For, deep down, he felt a sudden tingle of anger and depression at this news. Arthur couldn't help but grunt, and he rested his chin in the palm of his hand a moment as he thought over the ramifications of all this.

"That's…." Arthur mumbled, unsure of what to say. There was nothing he could say, really.

" _That didn't take long…_ " Arthur thought.

Ren just watched him, completely unsure of what Arthur was thinking. He was just sitting there, staring at the floor holding his chin. He had no expression, no tell. Just a blank slate that could go in any direction.

" _How did word get out about that….?_ " Arthur asked himself. " _I haven't told anyone about the Baker Act…. Not even Himura…_ "

"If it's any consolation, I don't believe in the rumors." Ren piped up suddenly, disturbing Arthur's thoughts. He shifted his eyes towards the black haired boy, who was offering him a kind and gentle smile. "I was the subject of vile rumors myself for a good while before. It'll pass, and they'll all move on to some other big thing." He offered his comforts, before adding "Like a fight, or a local scandal."

Arthur nodded, unsure if anything like that would come to light anytime soon. But the thought, to Arthur, was enough to calm his ailing mind. He was always the subject of rumors back in the home country. True or not, the rumors never bothered him. He was indeed upset to find that they had followed him here as well, but he is already a slave to too much. He would now allow himself to falter to anything else, especially meaningless gossip.

Arthur sat back in his seat, contemplating how the rumors began. There are only so many ways they could've started.

" _Now approaching Aoyama-Itchome Station. Doors will open on the left._ "

"Seems this is our stop…" Ren noted, standing up from his seat with his bag in hand. Throwing it over his shoulders, he turned towards Arthur. A warm smile was still on his lips. "It was nice meeting you." He offered.

"We go to the same school, Amamiya-kun." Arthur pointed out as he stood up. He still didn't have a bag, as he hasn't really been able to find one he liked neither in the underground mall of Shibuya Station nor on Central Street, although he hadn't looked very hard there. "Why don't we walk together?"

Ren watched him for a moment, and then expressed a small smile at Arthur's intentions.

* * *

The walk to Shujin was not a dull one, full of conversation between the two young men.

An American foreign exchange student, and a native Japanese student.

It was mostly Arthur speaking, however. Ren mostly walked alongside him and listened, occasionally offering input where it felt necessary. When he spoke, it was in short utterances. But Arthur didn't mind. It felt good being able to speak to someone who didn't bombarde him with question after question.

The students around the two were noticeably on edge, and the closer they were the more antsy they seemed. The students who trailed behind them kept their distance, while those in front of them were quick to speed walk away. The students they passed just stood in place, whispering to each other. Ren either didn't seem to notice this behavior or didn't care about what was going on. When Arthur commented on it all, Ren just kept his eyes forward. When he replied, he seemed very confident in what he said.

"It's because they see **us** together."

Arthur couldn't argue with that logic. Ren _did_ say rumors flew around about him at one point. The fallout of such actions would be long lasting. Arthur knew that much.

"So… Why did rumors circulate you?" Arthur asked as they entered the school's alley. He was quite curious as to what happened on Ren's end, as Ren seemed like a normal school student.

Ren didn't answer for a moment, he just glanced at Arthur from his peripheral before saying anything. Arthur noticed the continued silence and cursed himself mentally for bringing up the topic. He thought, for a moment, Ren was sensitive towards it. But Ren opened his mouth quite suddenly, taking Arthur by some level of surprise.

"People misunderstood my actions. That's all." Is all he had to say on that topic.

Arthur shut his mouth, unsure if to say anything further would be considered rude, so he just nodded and left it at that.

They stopped, standing before the school gates. Students from all different years were passing them, and Ren only looked up the stairs at the massive building before them. Arthur wanted to turn and bow to him, but he knew that bowing to a second year was not appropriate and so simply thanked him for the company. Arthur stepped past him, moving to enter the school and prepare for the day ahead of him. But Ren's voice stopped him before he got even five feet away. Turning, Ren had closed the distance between them so suddenly that Arthur nearly jumped.

"Things may look bad now, Williams-san." Ren said, sporting a calm and collected composure the likes of which Arthur was surprised to see anyone have. "There is always negative in the world; always will be. The best thing you can do to fight it is by living strong and bravely. Do not falter in your path, stay stalwart. The negative can only affect you if you let it."

Arthur blinked at his words and for a moment just stared at Ren, who in return stared at him right back. Behind those glasses of Ren's, Arthur could see the eyes of someone who has been wronged, but doesn't allow it to hurt him. He seemed strong, and he seemed stalwart, just as he asked Arthur to be.

Arthur was surprised. Not even Ichisake offered such inspiring words. He just gave the usual dribble about ignoring people that most people and teachers would give.

Then, for a moment, everything seemed OK.

Even his uneasiness with the rumor's source seemed to vanish with Ren's words.

Arthur, realizing he was staring, curled his lips into a welcoming smile. Ren returned it to him. Nodding as he did so.

The young American turned to fully face the black haired kid, and offered a right and proper bow to him, much to Ren's surprise.

Some students stopped to see the exchange, completely confused as to why a third year was bowing to a lowerclassmen. Ren simply shook his head in response, crossing his arms as he watched Arthur rise back up.

"That was unnecessary." Ren remarked. Arthur only kept his smile as a response before turning away.

"I'll see you around, Amamiya-kun." Arthur offered over his shoulder.

With that said, he walked on into the school. He was faced with the alienation from his fellow students, but he ignored it like he had before and walked on. Even with the whispers and the rumors flying behind his back.

He maintained his smile, happy that some people in this school seem to sympathize with his own plight.

Ren entered the school just the same as him, going in the opposite direction as Arthur. Ren looked over his shoulder to see if he could spot Arthur. But could not manage to do so in the crowded hall.

Meanwhile, nearby, a red eyed girl huffed in degrading annoyance as she watched them part ways. She was curious, but also wary.

"What's he got to do with Amamiya...?"

* * *

The day had felt longer than usual.

And the lecture by his teacher did nothing to captivate the attention of Arthur.

With Ichisake around, he would have someone to talk to and kill time with inbetween class changes and during lunch, but lunch had already come and went. Ichisake never showed up.

It was only Arthur today. He had barely said a single to word anyone after his meeting with Ren. No one else wanted to talk to him and he never had a reason to go upstairs. He didn't notice Ren or Ann at lunch either, which had bummed him out as that meant he had to sit and eat alone while everyone watched and murmured around him.

On some level, though, he couldn't complain too much. He had time to think with all the quiet and alone time he had, and even now all he did was think. Even with the teacher speaking at the front, and the occasional glances from his classmates, he just thought. Lost in his own mind, in his own little world. The teacher didn't seem to notice, and neither did anyone else.

During his time thinking his mind fell back to the calamity he befell during his sleep.

Not the false rumors spreading around the school.

But instead of the nightmares he's been having.

He's only been here a week, and they haven't stopped.

They varied in scale, from minor bumps in his sleep to panic inducing events that would cause him to wake, curl up in a ball, and cry until he fell back asleep.

Himura hasn't noticed the behaviour, nor has Arthur told him about it.

Arthur hasn't told anyone really, not even Ichisake.

But two dreams stood out to him in these fruitless nights of rest.

Nightmares they were not.

But instead odd anomalies within his norm.

The long nosed man named Igor…

The Velvet Room…

His own clothing reflecting that of a corpse in a morgue…

Arthur, no matter how long or hard he thought on it, could not make sense of it all.

He could remember every vivid detail, every word said to him, and even the smallest of things about Igor himself. His fear-inducing smile, his bloodshot, bulging eyes…

He could even remember the cards Igor presented to him and their designs clearly…

" _But what were they?_ " Arthur thought.

The more Arthur thought about it, the more he began to contemplate.

He didn't want to believe these dreams meant anything, but he never - in his entire life - had a dream that remembered the last incarnation. He has had recurring dreams, but these dreams would play out the same as before. They would never play out in a second act. In the end, he would see his therapist and learn the meaning or cause behind the dream and its occurrences. But dreams shouldn't be able to foretell of future events, or act as prophecies.

So why did Igor come to him in his sleep, beckoning him to find this concept of " _salvation_ "?

This term, itself, was also very much confusing to Arthur.

Igor never elaborated on the meaning behind his usage of it, what it meant for Arthur, or this " _horrible fate_ " that was coming for him. He instead dodged the questions left and right entirely, justifying the evasion with the idea that Arthur didn't need to know just yet.

Arthur wanted to chalk it all up to dreams being dreams, but Arthur was a sharp young man, he knew having a dream like that couldn't be coincidence.

Something was there, and gave those dreams merit.

But what is it?

Why does Igor want him to find the Phantom Thieves?

Why does Igor want him to befriend them?

Arthur shook his head, not being capable of finding answers by staring at the chalkboard.

But would further thought yield any answers?

Arthur couldn't answer his own questions, and he had many.

"...That'll conclude today's lecture on the Shimabara Rebellion everyone." Mr. Sakutaro said, eyeing the room before him. "I know many of you were paying attention… But for those of you who weren't…" He eyed Arthur with a dubious glare. "...I'm not repeating myself. Good luck on the test."

Arthur gulped. He got caught daydreaming.

The bell suddenly rang, and today was the last class of the day, so that bell meant Arthur could go home. He sighed, standing up and balling up the papers he had since he didn't have a bag. He was intending to throw them in the trash.

The other students began vacating the room as well, drowning the end of day announcements with their chatter. The teacher leaned on his desk and called out to Arthur, rising above the voices with his own.

"Williams. Come see me before you leave." He demanded. Arthur looked over at him and nodded, weaving his way past the idle students and excusing himself whenever he bumped into another.

Nearby, the red eyed girl kept her eyes on him a moment before leaving the room herself.

Standing face to face with a teacher never felt nerve racking before. Arthur always got on well with his American teachers, but in Japan? His homeroom teacher, who also happened to be his history teacher, was openly hostile to him and a couple other students in the room. He was glaring a hole at Arthur on his approach and even stayed silent a moment when Arthur addressed him. He had his arms crossed, and barely blinked as he watched Arthur closely.

"So, Williams." Sakutaro deadpanned. "Daydreaming in my class now, are you? You do this in the other teacher's classes or am I just _that_ special?" He asked.

Arthur gulped and didn't say anything at first. He knew that, no matter what he could say, it wouldn't make his situation better. But he knew that Mr. Sakutaro was angry with him and decided it was best to remain silent and listen to the music.

"It's fine. Don't say anything then. Doesn't make me suddenly forgive you." He said, shaking his head at Arthur's reticence. The young American blinked, and nodded at the teacher's words. "I've noticed, Arthur, that you catch on quickly to things. You've aced your first test last Thursday with a one hundred and most of the topics on the test you weren't here to cover. Not only that, but I've seen you around the school, keeping a low profile around everyone. It's obvious why, but let me get my point across." Sakutaro offered, scratching his chin as he spoke. "If you piss me off, I won't hesitate to have you removed from my class. You're a huge inconvenience and I'm not gonna slow my curriculum down to accommodate for your problems, understand me? You better catch on to that as fast as you catch on to everything else."

Arthur nodded again and said nothing. Despite this, he kept his head high and, even though he was nervous, he didn't let his hesitation show. He just listened and kept silent, doing his best to show respect to his teacher.

_No matter how much of a bastard he is._

"Now. I got two more things I want to tell you and then you can get the hell out of here. Firstly, what the hell did you do?" Sakutaro asked, keeping his angry glare up at Arthur. He was looking the young American directly in the eyes, and all Arthur felt was animosity from the stare.

But Arthur was also confused at the question presented to him.

"Uh, excuse me?" Arthur asked, unsure what his teacher meant.

"Don't play stupid, Williams." The teacher rubbed his temples, annoyed he had to explain what he meant. "I'm sure you know as well as I do about the rumors circulating you. What the hell did you do? Even Miyara is caught in them, and people are saying you hurt him or something."

Arthur shook his head quite suddenly, catching even the teacher off guard with how quick he was to respond.

"Did no such thing, sir." Arthur told him matter-of-factly. "I'm as confused as you are about the rumors. But I've been doing my best to ignore them."

"I better not hear anything about you breaking the law, Williams. This school is already in some deep shit. Dragging us down with your perceived behaviour will also hurt us, not just you. Best remember that if these rumors turn out to be true."

"Understood, sir." Arthur told him, nodding once more to Sakutaro's words and threats.

Sakutaro huffed and shook his head. "At least you're agreeable… Hmph." He said, eyeing the floor. He sighed a moment and scratched his head before continuing.

"The other thing I wanted to tell you - and you better goddamn thank me because I didn't have to tell you, I just assumed no one's told you because of the rumors - but don't come to school on Monday. There is an event going on at Inokashira Park. School's doing a cleanup event for some reason, God only knows why. Go to the park on Monday in your gym clothes and just do what they tell you, alright?" He said leaning off his desk and organizing a bunch of papers on it. "That's my piece, now get out of here."

Arthur blinked, as he was fully unaware of such an event. Ichisake hasn't even told him, but it was unlikely Ichisake even knew since he claimed no one spoke to him anyways.

"Inokashira Park, huh…?" Arthur mumbled, trying to think if he's heard of the place before. The teacher just huffed and looked at him, confused as to why Arthur was still standing there. Arthur, realizing he was looking like an idiot now, bowed to him. "Thank you, Mr. Sakutaro." Arthur offered him before leaving the room entirely.

Sakutaro watched him exit and simply huffed quietly, shaking his head at the idea of Arthur being as crazy as everyone says he is.

"Nice kid…." He mumbled under his breath, clicking a pen to begin grading the classwork he had passed out earlier. "Hard to believe he's the subject of all those goddamn parasitic rumors…"

* * *

Arthur had exited the school the same as everyone else, albeit without Ichisake being there to accompany him. He had his hands in his pockets and was simply following the horde of students out the doors.

He was well aware of the looks he was receiving, but ignored them to the best of his ability. To his surprise, there was not a single murmur that he heard from anyone he passed.

But no murmurs meant silence.

Did that mean the students themselves are too afraid now to even speak near him?

Arthur honestly didn't care, though. Like Ann and Ren had told him, they would find something else to gossip about in time. The lifecycle of a rumor always ended in the fading of the rumor from memory, but the implications the rumors made would be long lasting. All Arthur had to do was bide his time if he wanted the rumors gone, at the very least.

He was content in doing this, he did it back home too. But when he was in the home country, his ne'er-do-well friends at least had his back when he was confronted by the rumors from time to time. Here he had no one but Ichisake, and Ichisake didn't seem like a fighter.

Arthur smiled, that was actually one thing he liked about Ichisake.

He stopped just before the stairs in front of the school, noticing a familiar sight at the bottom who was staring at his phone. A black and white cat was peering over his shoulder, half of its body vanishing into the student's bag.

He quickly realized who it was, but did nothing for a moment as he was surprised to see that Ren had brought a cat to school in his bag.

The cat, as if on cue, turned around and looked up at Arthur. It's eyes were a bright blue color, almost like they were gems. They locked for a moment before the cat opened its mouth wide, and was so loud Arthur could hear it from where he was standing.

"Mroooooow!" Arthur heard, and the cat quickly sunk back into Ren's bag, with Ren looking over his shoulder at Arthur.

Ren slid his phone into a pocket and turned to look at Arthur, surprised to see him standing there. "Oh, hey." Ren greeted him, maintaining a very indifferent expression despite the fact he was caught with a cat in his bag.

Arthur chuckled, and climbed down the stairs to meet with him. "So Shujin allows pets in the school, huh?" Arthur asked him, jokingly. "Did not know that."

Ren shook his head in response. "No, but I can't leave him home alone. He'd…. Uh…" Ren stumbled a moment, as if he was trying to remember what the cat would do. "...Uh… He would break things… He's very destructive when he's lonely."

The cat cried out from his bag quite loudly, causing Arthur to chuckle at the well timed call.

"What's his name?" Arthur asked, finding himself quite curious. He didn't have any pets back home, but regardless he loved pets. Cats in particular. There was just something about them that Arthur loved, whether it was the cute actions they would commit or when they would go into, as the internet culture called it, " _dumbass mode_ " and run all over the place.

"Morgana." Ren answered, as if the name didn't sound odd. Arthur only looked at him and for a moment just stared at his bag in regards to the name of the cat. The cat poked his head out and looked back at Arthur. It's tongue was sticking out in between its teeth.

"Well, if that's what you picked… Not what I would've called him… Eh." Arthur mumbled, but loud enough so Ren could hear. Ren couldn't help himself but smile at that lighthearted jab. "So, going home are you?" Arthur asked him, moving past the cat issue. He didn't particularly care that Ren brought a cat. He was just surprised by it.

"No, actually." Ren answered, matter-of-factly. "I'm heading to Shibuya. My guardian had called me not too long ago and told me a certain someone he knows is there and doesn't seem to want to leave, so he told me to not come home for a bit. Gonna kill some time on Central Street."

"Ah." Arthur grunted, understanding the circumstances. His father had gone through something similar sounding a few years ago before cutting that person out of their lives entirely. "Well, my guardian doesn't come home 'til about six in the evening, so if I go home I'll have nothing to do but either play on my laptop or watch TV. I'm bored of both right now honestly…" Arthur relayed to Ren, crossing his arms and cutting his eyes to the pavement below. He wasn't sure what he was going to do until Himura came back. He also wasn't sure if he wanted to seclude himself alone in the apartment again.

"Oh… Well.. In that case, wanna come with me?" Ren offered, surprising Arthur with the invitation. "I'm not doing anything in particular, though. Just bumming around." He quickly admitted.

But Arthur smiled, finding the fact he was invited at all a warming prospect. Not even Ann had offered to hang out with him, and Ichisake was the only friend he really had at this school. He didn't even need to think on the offer, he accepted it readily.

"If I'm not a bother, then sure. I'll come with you."

"You won't be a bother, Williams-san." Ren told him, turning his back on the young American. "Well, we should get going. We're gonna miss the train and have to wait for the next."

Arthur agreed and jogged to catch up with him.

Nearby, a red eyed girl hid behind a manga comic.

She was watching the two boy's interaction and quickly moved to follow them down towards the station when it became apparent they were about to leave with one another.

She squinted, wondering what two supposed problem students wanted with one another.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Proof read and edited by a friend named Frozen Foe on my Discord server.


	7. Gaiden: Himura Arinori

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Behold… The life of another through their eyes…"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Introducing the first Gaiden in our story. Gaiden is a Japanese word for "short story". Gaidens will serve as our short story markers for things that happen when Arthur isn't around. Some will be story related, some will be fluff, and some will exist to flesh out characters that haven't had much screen time yet, like the one you are about to read.
> 
> Without further adieu, please enjoy our first Gaiden!

* * *

Mornings for Himura were rather slow, as always.

Waking up at four AM, he had to leave no later than six. He had just long enough to make breakfast for Arthur and shower before his departure for a twelve hour shift at his place of work.

Arthur didn't get up initially when Himura woke him, but when the kid finally stumbled out of his room almost twenty minutes later, Himura was surprised to see the kid's eyes were red and puffy, almost as if he had been crying. He pressed the kid for answers but Arthur just waved him off, claiming to be alright and Himura left it at that.

Himura was unsure, but he knew Arthur well. If Arthur said he was OK, then it must've been so. He knew Arthur was a smart cookie and believed he would be smart enough to tell anyone if something's troubling him.

The two then sat down in the living room for a quick breakfast - or more specifically, Arthur sat down while Himura watched the news about the recent developments with the master artist, Ichiryusai Madarame.

According to the news report, he had received a calling card from the so-called " _Phantom Thieves_ ".

Arthur paid equal attention, finding himself as invested in the story as Himura was.

The breakfast Himura made for Arthur was makeshift at best, as the hour was already nearing six. Some toast and scrambled eggs with a dollop of ketchup mixed in; something he remembered Arthur enjoying a lot during the days he watched over him when his parents weren't around.

Arthur didn't complain, but he did mumble a thank you to Himura for making breakfast.

As the two watched the news go on about the sudden change in Madarame's public appearances - lack of, more like - Himura remembered the radio in his car talk about the actions of the Phantom Thieves and whether or not they really are connected to the calling card. If they are, some suspect blackmail or something equally foul. If they aren't, they then suspect vicious pranksters to be at fault.

"Arthur, what do you know about these Phantom Thieves?" Himura asked Arthur, eliciting a surprised huff from the young man.

Arthur shook his head, telling Himura that he was interested in the subject too but he knew as much as a baby given calculus. Himura sighed, cutting his eyes to his clock. He shook his head as well, realizing it was time for him to get going.

"Must be one of those freak things, then…" Himura concluded under his breath, standing up from his seat as he stared at the clock. "I gotta go, Arthur... Make sure you get to the station on time and all that nonsense."

He grabbed his jacket off the back of the sofa - a blue and white zip up with kanji around the collar. It was written in a fancy font, and it said " _Look for the silver lining_ ". The man smiled, zipping it up and watching as Arthur paid his attention to the news. "I won't be home until six tonight, Arthur, as usual. If you have your friend over, I got some American foods in the freezer. Treat him to those."

Arthur smiled and thanked him, finishing up the last of his eggs. He barely touched his toast, but Himura didn't have time to complain. He had to get going.

"Seeya, Arthur."

* * *

The drive was nothing to write home about. Neither was the traffic or the chilly wind that bit into his skin. When he finally arrived at work nearly an hour later, he could barely find a parking spot outside the rather large building in the Shibuya district of Tokyo. Even the spot reserved for him was taken by someone of a higher rank than him. For a moment he just sat in his car, staring at s black car in his space before sighing and driving off to find another place to park.

That task was daunting in of itself. Plenty of overnight workers were still in the building, and that meant the parking lot wouldn't be open fully until around eight thirty, and even then that would only last a stark ten minutes. Only managers, the CEO, and chiefs had parking spaces available to them specifically in this lot, and Himura was lucky a middle-manager got a space.

What was unlucky though is someone else taking it...

When he eventually found a spot - one at the furthest end of the parking lot, a good half a minute walk - he couldn't help but curse the man who stole his parking spot.

He sighed and stepped out of his car, locking it before approaching the building.

There, emblazoned like a billboard on the front of the building, was the name of the company. In bright kanji, visible no matter where you were on this street. At first Himura was proud to work at this company, but as time bore on he slowly grew to dislike it, only sticking around for the hefty paycheck his position promised him. Sometimes he wondered if it was worth it, though, with him having little to no free time as a sacrifice.

Someone behind him spoke, startling him briefly as he observed the window cleaners above polish up what they could near the big kanji lettering.

"Arinori-san!" A very feminine voice called out to him. "You're here a bit early, it's rare I see you in my morning routine…" She added. Recognizing the voice, he smiled and turned to face her. He acted surprised to see her, but he wasn't really. Every time he saw her was a treat indeed.

"Eguchi-chan!" Himura greeted, extending a hand towards her as she approached him. She smiled and likewise took his hand with a formal grip.

This woman was Kiwa Eguchi. A human resources manager.

She was a young woman, no older than twenty four with a bachelor's degree in business management. She sported a really short haircut that was pushed and faded to one side, leaving the opposite half a small buzz cut and colored black, like Himura's, with bright yellow eyes accompanying her friendly gaze.

His smile grew wider. She was the definition of true beauty in Himura's eyes.

"I'm glad to see you, Eguchi-chan." Himura greeted her.

"Likewise, Arinori-san, likewise." She responded, eyeing what he wore. She was a bit surprised to see him wearing such a casual jacket to a professional workplace. "I see you're wearing something inspirational today…" She grinned, noting the inspiring kanji on his collar.

Himura chuckled, rubbing the back of his head as he felt a small amount of disapproval emanating from her words. "I'm not wearing it all day. I'm gonna leave in my office when I get inside."

She nodded, stepping past him. She wore something more professional than him. He wore a casual jacket with a white polo and black slacks while she wore black heels, a black skirt that ended just above her knees, and a red blouse that she tucked into her skirt. Walking beside her, he noticed she also was wearing a necklace he hadn't seen before. It was dotted with numerous jewels, and the chain looked to be made of silver. His eyes went wide, wondering how much exactly it cost her.

"Is that a new necklace?" He asked. She looked down for a moment then up at him, at first she was surprised - she just looked at him like she didn't expect him to notice - but then she suddenly flashed him a giddy, toothy smile.

"Someone actually noticed?" She asked him, the surprise evident in her very young sounding voice. "Why, yes, it is. Bought it last weekend… I just finally worked up the nerve to wear it here. I-I didn't think anyone would notice." She admitted, betraying some bashfulness in her decision to flaunt it around work.

Himura smiled, saying "Ah, well. It looks great, Eguchi-chan."

She smiled wide and thanked him, gifting him the pleasure of seeing her in a good mood.

When they reached the front door of the building, Himura went to open the door for her but she stopped him with a sudden question. "You know you're not allowed to clock in just yet. You have to clock in the second your shift starts… What are you gonna do until then?" She asked, ignoring the fact the door was wide open for her.

He blinked, just now realizing he wasn't allowed to go on shift just yet. He let the door go, unsure of how to answer that question. He's never been early to work before, and thus never had to actually think about how to kill time. He remained silent for a moment, all while Kiwa looked at him. He glanced to the sidewalk, scratching his chin as he thought.

"Well… I guess I'll just go get some coffee in the break room until then…" Himura decided, unsure if even that was the best option he had.

"Ah, well… Mind if I join you, then?" Kiwa offered, surprising Himura. "I haven't had my morning coffee. Is that alright with you, or will my presence bother you?"

He looked up at her and, with a bright smile forming, shook his head at the prospect. "You won't be a bother, Eguchi-chan."

* * *

The coffee was already brewed and still hot, but whoever had made it had obviously forgotten about it in whatever haste they had. Kiwa had taken a seat at the table, setting her purse down by her feat as she waited on Himura to serve their coffee. At first, she offered to do it. Himura had offered to do it himself instead though, and she didn't openly complain.

"Three sugar cubes, no creamer please." She told him. Himura smiled, pouring her a cup.

Himura himself likes a lot of sugar and french-vanilla creamer, and as such went all out on his. When he served the coffee he chose, instead of sitting down, to lean on the counter behind him and enjoy what he poured himself.

Kiwa, cup in both hands, opted to test the waters before actually drinking it just to make sure it was to her liking. But she quickly found out Himura had done exactly as she wanted, to which she was mildly pleased. The two sat in silence for moments on, just enjoying their coffee in the midst of the chilly morning. Their office floor was seemingly abandoned save for a few late night workers and a security guard who often came by to check on the two.

The two opted to enjoy the silence they had for a while, for when nine o'clock came around, the office would be bustling and noisy in both of their departments. Himura would occasionally glance up at Kiwa, but would avoid staring for too long. It was no secret to himself that he had developed a pretty clear crush on her, despite the fact she was much younger than him by fifteen years.

Despite how acceptable it is to date someone much younger or much older than yourself in Japan, what kept him from asking her on a date for the longest time, was that she came from a rich family that also called Shibuya home. While his family was lucky to get the house they have now on the opposite end of Tokyo.

He believed she'd be embarrassed to be seen with someone that could be perceived as a commoner, and thus kept his feelings a secret for her own benefit.

On occasion, she would act as if she knew about his feelings and chose to ignore them, which would often break his heart but not his spirits. Besides these few occasions, she would give no other indicator that she was in the know, which often confused Himura.

One of these moments was about to occur.

Kiwa suddenly glanced up at him, surprised to see him looking at her. He gulped, afraid he was just caught admiring her beauty.

"What're you looking at?" She asked, curious as to what about her made her interesting.

Himura was quick to think up a reply, hoping to seem like he was just admiring something she wore instead of how well she took care of herself. "Just your necklace, is all. I was surprised to see you wear something so flashy to work."

She smiled, humming as she took another sip of her coffee.

"Hmm… Well, I was surprised to see you wear something so casual, Arinori-san…" She echoed his words almost perfectly, pointing out he was still wearing his street jacket. Himura's cheeks went rosy red, and he set his cup down next to him as he looked himself over.

"Yeah, I guess…." Himura absentmindedly agreed with her. Now that he thought about it, he looked almost _too_ casual with this jacket on.

"So." Kiwa started, placing her eyes on Himura with a curious glint in her pupils. "How's that kid you're taking care of?" She asked him, reminding him that he had told her of Arthur a few days ago.

"Good! Good!" Himura piped up. "He's been attending that academy - Shujin - for a bit. He doesn't tell me anything bad's been going on so I can only assume all is well."

"I suppose…" Kiwa agreed for a moment, setting her cup down in front of her as she spoke."I've been hearing an awful lot of stuff about those " _Phantom Thieves_ " in regards to Shujin. I do hope he doesn't get caught up in those rumors. From what you've described, Arinori-san, Williams-kun is a very honorable and very smart young man."

Himura waved off the concern quite literally, assuring her that "Williams-san is a very intelligent, very law-abiding, and very honorable kid.". And indeed that wasn't false in his eyes. From everything he knew of Arthur, and he's known him for a very long time, Arthur wasn't prone to flights of fancy. Arthur even mentioned before that he's just keeping his head down and doing his best to fit in.

"From what you've described, he seems very sweet…" Kiwa added, bringing a small smile to Himura's lips. "I do hope the culture shock hasn't hit him too hard."

"Bah, I was more worried about the jetlag than the culture shock." Himura dismissed her concerns, knowing that Arthur was smart enough to prepare for his visit. "But he's doing alright, that's all that matters."

They talked a while longer, the topics ranging from Arthur to work to the calling card Madarame received. Their various opinions on the topics were brought to light and the two learned a little more about each other. As Kiwa put it, she hoped the Phantom Thieves really exist. Mostly for her own reasons, reasons she did not disclose to Himura. But Himura told her he thought it to be a genuine, well thought out prank.

Despite their differing opinions, Himura valued it. Mostly he got to learn more about her and the very fact he got to talk to her made him glow. It was moments like these that he treasured at work, especially when everything else goes haywire.

Soon their subject changed to that of their CEO, and the very fact he parked in Himura's parking space.

"He did, did he?" Kiwa said, almost as if she was deadpanning. She didn't really seem surprised with this behavior. "Well, your space _is_ closer to the building… Doesn't surprise me… Didn't he do this last week? And the week before?" She asked.

Himura nodded, exasperated with the CEO's behavior. "Mmmhmm… Sickens me to no end, and that just isn't the tip of the iceberg, but I know better than to badmouth him in the workplace…"

Kiwa nodded, understanding his position. There are a few people in the workplace who act as pets to him, and will report anything that seems like sedition straight to him. No one can avoid getting fired when the CEO steps in.

"I guess it's a good thing his daughter doesn't take after him…" Kiwa noted, pulling out her phone to check the current time. "Oh, shoot…" Kiwa murmured, noting the time was well past her clock-in time. "I've been talking with you so long I've lost track of time!" She shot up from her seat and quickly threw her purse over her shoulder. "I need to get to my department before the CEO finds out I'm late… I'll see you later, Arinori-san!"

With that said, she sped out of the room, leaving an almost empty mug of coffee on her table and a slightly disappointed Himura in her wake. Himura sighed, setting his mug down next to him as he leaned off the counter. Looking at his phone, he saw the time was nearing eight, and that meant his other coworkers would be arriving soon too. It was going to become another busy day.

He closed his eyes a moment, the tranquility he felt with Kiwa's presence evaporating quickly, leaving nothing but a sudden exhaustion in him. An exhaustion he felt every single day he came to work. An exhaustion he would receive whenever he arrived at the doors, but Kiwa's very presence was enough to stave it off until now.

He slumped his shoulders down, and sighed.

He was tired of working at Okumura Foods.

* * *

Himura had his own office in the building, tucked away from the cubicles of the customer service department. He was the middle-manager of the supervisor for the department. He had the office decorated to his liking, with pictures of his family on his desk and on the walls as well as a picture with Arthur's parents. The mother, bright red hair that fell to her shoulders with brown eyes and glasses much like Arthur's, was on it. She was pregnant in this picture, and Himura remembered that it was taken when Arthur was only nine years old.

The father, a much paler gentleman with light brown hair - the trait Arthur seemed to receive - was standing there with his arms around Himura. They were all at a party when it was taken, and at the time Himura was basically like family.

Thoughts about Arthur crossed his mind, and at the time he was scribbling down some notes that he was instructed by his supervisor to take on the actions of a previous employee - one that costed their department an enormous sum on money due to their deplorable actions - and then compare it all to his own actions in dealing with it.

Then he was to have a meeting around noon today to discuss it.

These thoughts of Arthur only worsened his already irritated mood and for a moment he paused his scribbling, leaning back in his seat to only stare at the picture of his friends back in the United States.

Arthur's only been in his care for about a week now, and he hasn't been able to get a word out of him regarding his family. He just clams up and tells Himura to " _not worry about them_ ". Himura wants to push the issue, but he hasn't made Arthur do anything he doesn't want to so far, and Himura didn't want it any other way right now. This is all the least he could do for the kid's dad, who Himura remembered to be an upstanding man.

"If only I could get Arthur to tell me what happened between them after..…" Himura mumbled, staring at the picture. "Well… _It_ happened…"

He knew he wasn't going to get an answer out of him anytime soon though, and simply sighed. It pained him to see a kid like him act like everything's fine when in reality it wasn't.

He went back to his scribbling, trying his best to remember everything that had happened with the former employee's actions.

The hours passed, and it was quiet for him when he finally shut his door. No one bothered him, probably on orders of the supervisor Himura figured. He had compiled his notes, gotten them all neatly written and stacked and ready for the supervisor's eyes. It was likely he wasn't going to read them, he just wanted to see if Himura was taking the situation seriously.

He received a phone call just then as he was relaxing - both physically and mentally - for a moment. With a slight exasperated groan, he answered.

"Customer Service Middle-Manager Himura Arinori, can I help you?" He asked, sounding almost as if he himself was a recording.

" _Middle-Manager, report to my office immediately. Bring your notes._ " The voice on the other end demanded before hanging up without so much as a word out of Himura's mouth. He slowly hung up the phone and did as asked, albeit it with a slight tremble in his step.

He had no idea what was really in store for him.

When he stood before the office door of his supervisor, the Chief Clerk of the Customer Service Department, he waited outside for a moment, catching his breath. Every step he took towards the office only triggered worse and worse trembling. Some coworkers noticed this, but when they saw he stood outside the Chief Clerk's office, they realized he had every right to be scared and left him at that.

When he finally decided he was ready, he knocked on the door. A voice almost immediately beckoned him in. Himura catered to the Chief Clerk's wish and entered slowly, and to his surprise the only person present in the room was the Chief Clerk himself.

Himura closed the door behind him and bowed. Silently, he was doing his best to keep himself from trembling in the presence of the Chief Clerk.

"Have a seat, Middle-Manager." The Chief Clerk beckoned him, leaning his elbows on the desk before him. Himura gulped and did as requested, setting his papers before the Chief Clerk and taking a seat in the rather uncomfortable seat before him.

Or maybe it was just uncomfortable because Himura felt nervous…

"Ah, the notes… Yes… You did them as requested, I see?" The Chief Clerk said, eyeing the small stack of yellow papers before him. He glanced between the papers and Himura a moment before letting a small smile develop. "I'm not going to read them, but you did as asked and even provided proof. Good on you." He offered his mild praise, resting his head in his hands and watching Himura tremble. "Why do you look so...afraid, Arinori-kun?" He then asked, smiling warmly and using Himura's name instead of his title.

"Uh…." Was all Himura managed to scramble out before the Chief Clerk snickered, leaning back in his chair and observing Himura with an amused eye.

"Relax, Arinori-kun… You're not in any trouble." He waved at him dismissively. This elicited nothing but a momentary lapse of silence from Himura, who had ceased his trembling almost immediately.

"Er… What…?" Himura suddenly asked after recovering from his silent surprise.

"I had you take those notes and talked to you on the recorded lines just to make myself look good. You're not in any trouble, Arinori-kun. So relax. Take a deep breath, and you'll get out of here much quicker." The Chief Clerk offered, clasping his hands together and chuckling at Himura's response. "I actually just brought you here to thank you personally. You really saved my ass."

"Huh…?" Himura grunted out, unsure of what was even going on anymore. He's never seen the Chief Clerk offer praise on anyone before, especially not him.

"The CEO would've had my hide out on the streets begging for forgiveness for that little mishap that occurred with the _former_ new guy. We lost a lot of money with what he did, but you covered the cost in total and saved us from budget cuts, and saved me and a few others from getting fired."

"...He probably would've fired me too…" Himura pointed out slowly.

"Yes, you _are_ the Middle-Manager. But that's neither here nor there." The Chief Clerk said, extending a hand towards Himura. "So, with all that said, you can rest easy now. We're not gonna breathe down your neck about this anymore and we're not gonna have you keep doing…" He gestured to the small stack of yellow papers on his desk. "...This… Anymore."

Himura nodded, but didn't say anything further. He wasn't sure if he had the means to say something or not, and went with the latter idea to remain respectful.

The Chief Clerk watched him for a moment, noting the silence Himura offered with a smile, and nodded to him to return to work. "That's all I brought you here for. A personal thank you. I know the CEO was appeased by your successful attempt to cover our losses so thank you. I wish I didn't have to go through the flair before thanking you but I gotta make myself look good to the Section Chief, I'm sure you understand."

"I do." Himura said, understanding he was being dismissed. He stood up and bowed to the Chief Clerk, and the Chief Clerk smiled as he attempted to depart. He called out to him as he opened the door, stopping him from leaving right away.

"Middle-Manager…" He used Himura's title again, forgoing the friendly attitude he was taking earlier. "I want today's call logs sent to the upstairs office at the end of today instead of to the right-wing, understand?" He asked him. Himura nodded again, adding a second bow to his departure.

He left the room, leaving the Chief Clerk without any further reason to harass him for the actions of another.

* * *

The day was long, and the day was exhausting as always.

The only two highlights being his talk with Kiwa and the Chief Clerk basically praising him for his actions of late and essentially telling him " _We're halting our investigation, you no longer have to worry. Now get back to your actual job._ ". The rest of the day was filled with phone calls, computer documents, and the one lunch break he had that only lasted a stark ten minutes. He was also only supposed to spend it in his office in case something urgent came up, per company policy.

He was practically yawning as he left the building. The sun was beginning to set. A brisk dusk greeted him as he stepped outside the building, with a chilly breeze blowing just like this morning. He had his jacket in one hand, and his car keys in the other. No one said a word to him on the way out, not even the Chief Clerk whom he walked by at the elevator. Looking around, the street seemed pretty bare for the end of the work day, so he decided now was the best time to vacate.

Heading towards the parking lot, he noticed his parking space was empty. The black car from this morning was gone.

The CEO was gone.

" _Must be nice getting off work early…_ " Himura thought, huffing as he walked onwards towards his car.

Since this morning's encounter, he hasn't seen Kiwa. That was disappointing to him, as seeing her face would've been enough to lift his weariness from the long, exhausting day he's had. She must either be working late or, unlikely, had been let go early.

The latter was extremely unlikely. No one was ever let go early at Okumura Foods.  
When he reached his car he sighed. Just as he was about to unlock the door, he felt a buzz in his pocket.

"Huh…?"

He set the keys on top of the car before reaching into his pocket, curious to see who was calling him at this time of the day. To his surprise, it was an unknown number. He watched the phone go off for a few moments, unsure at first if he should even answer an unknown number.

But Himura being Himura, he answered it on the off chance it was the wrong number so he could share a laugh with a complete stranger.

"Hello?" Himura answered.

Suddenly his eyes went wide, and he lowered his voice so none of the nearby coworkers heard him. "What….?" He asked, unsure if he had heard the other end clearly.

"But…." He stammered, frightened they were calling him so suddenly. "What do you mean " _When am I going to pay_?"? He asked. "Soon... You just gotta give me some time, I haven't even been paid yet!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Proof read and edited by a friend named Frozen Foe on my Discord server.


	8. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "He has made first contact… He knows little of how close he is to the Phantom Thieves…"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My editor brought up a concern. What he brought up is the idea we need to give Arthur his Persona soon. I already know how I'm gonna do it, have had it planned. Bear with us a little while longer, dear readers. I'm trying to give Arthur room to develop and make friendships with Ann and Ren. I'm trying to make everything seem organic and realistic. From now on, chapters are going to be longer than normal so I can have more room to write UNTIL Arthur gets his persona. Hope you all enjoy!
> 
> Without further adieu, please enjoy the chapter.

Central Street was much the same as the last visit Arthur gave it.

Jam packed with people of many differing backgrounds and cultures. Country-folk, city people, foreigners. Students were about, as were adults in flashy suits. Police officers were here, watching the crowd with anxiety bursting in their eyes. They stuck together, a full squad of them, keeping out of the public's way but wary of the unseen at all times.

Arthur couldn't help but wonder: Are they looking for someone, or are patrols of that size normal in Japan?

One of them glanced at the duo as they walked the street, but he soon huffed and returned his attention back to whatever task it was they were performing.

"Lots of cops here…" Arthur noted aloud.

"Yeah." Ren said in turn. "It's a bit unnerving."

Arthur did his best to keep up pace with Ren, who seemed to move as if he was on a mission. Like he had an actual purpose being here. But when Arthur fell behind, Ren would stop and look back at him with this ever present, indifferent look that seemed like only Ren was capable of producing.

That was very much unlike Arthur, who's expression would change very often based on how he felt or what he was thinking.

"Having trouble keeping up?" Ren asked Arthur, eliciting a bashful chuckle from the latter.

"You're acting like you got a real purpose to being here, man." Arthur relayed to him as he caught up with the lowerclassmen.

"Ah, sorry about that…" Ren scratched the back of his head, looking positively apologetic suddenly. Arthur just waved it off with a casual smile.

"Don't worry about it, so is there any place you'd like to go?" Arthur asked, eyeing each shop and restaurant with an eager gaze. With Ichisake, he'd only been to not even a handful of shops. "I heard there's an airsoft shop around here… I kinda wanna check that out."

"Oh?" Ren, turning his head towards a nearby obscure - at least to Arthur - building. "I was kinda hoping to grab a bite to eat, honestly…" He admitted solemnly.

"Do you know a place?" Arthur asked him, looking around for a suitable location. There wasn't anything obvious, though, besides the fast food restaurant just a few feet away. "I hope it isn't that Big Bang Burger I've been hearing about, I'm not all that into… fast food…" Arthur told Ren, eliciting a surprised glance from Ren. The cat even popped his head out Ren's bag and looked at Arthur, as if even he was surprised to hear that.

"Never thought Americans would get tired of fast food…" Ren jokingly stated, chuckling under his breath at Arthur's own meager expense. Arthur smirked as well, having been slightly amused with what was said. "I know a place. They have good steak. Come on, I'll buy."

Arthur didn't argue. Couldn't, more like. He nodded after Ren, following him up to an obscure, almost indistinct set of stairs leading upwards into a building that, at Arthur's first glance, didn't have a clear and ready sign pointing to its existence.

Ren looked back at Arthur, who was simply glancing around for a pointer to this building's existence. "Is...is this it?" Arthur asked, unsure as he looked up the stairs.

Ren, with a small amused smile, simply nodded.

* * *

The seats were rather comfortable, more so than the chairs at school or the tables in the cafeteria.

And the patronage showed that the place did rather well, even with its distinct lack of public adverts on the outside. There were a good number of people inside, eating at booths and at tables, and the employees looked as if casualwear was a thing allowed in the workplace.

Children walked about, talking and playing while their parents sat in nearby booths watching and eating whatever remained on their plates. Students of various nearby schools - Shujin included - took over the corner booths and looked to be studying or doing homework while snacking on what looked like light meals.

Then there was Arthur and Ren, who occupied a booth near the entrance to the establishment. Ren had set his bag at the far end of the table, and his cat was poking his head out and watching the two exchange words while they waited for their server.

"This place gets a lot of business, it seems…" Arthur noted as he cut his eyes in every direction, observing the various patrons and their activities within the small but bustling diner. Ren nodded as a response.

"I come here a lot. It's great for studying, and the meals are cheap." Ren informed him, passing a menu to the young American. "I recommend the Nostalgic Steak if you want my opinion. The gravy and the vegetables it comes with go well together, not to mention the side of white rice that comes with it." Ren added, looking over the small menu in his hands.

Arthur, however, widened his eyes at the description Ren gave.

"Jesus Christ, I'm ordering a goddamn meal?" Arthur murmured, looking over the menu he was handed. It wasn't a big menu, and was surprised to see what little it really had to offer in the way of variety. A few sides of different kinds of rice, the Nostalgic Steak was a main course - even had a " _Popular_ " tag next to it - with different types of coffee on the back, soda, water, tea…

The other main courses the menu offered were stew meats, sandwiches of various kinds, soup, and a salad.

Arthur just shook his head, surprised that everything with the main course - save for sandwiches and the salad - came with vegetables and rice in a diner such as this.

Ren, in the meantime, had already sat his menu down and was lazily watching Arthur for his eventual choice. The cat was observing too, for whatever reason. Arthur only huffed, finding the steak being the only thing that sounded good right now.

"Can I help you two?" A sweet sounding voice piped up. Arthur shifted his eyes to the side, noticing an older woman standing at their table with a pen and paper in hand. Ren wasted no time in giving his order, with the young woman chuckling as she penned it down. "Always the steak, dear Amamiya-kun… And you, dear?" She shifted her voice to Arthur. He paused a moment, thinking about what he really wanted.

"I told you I'm paying, so don't worry about the price." Ren spoke up, attempting to hurry Arthur's indecision along. "I have the money…"

Arthur glanced over at him, nodding as he sat his menu down.

"I guess I'll get the Nostalgic Steak as well…." Arthur told her, to which she smiled and bowed before walking away to fulfill their order.

"Smart choice. You're gonna enjoy it." Ren promised the young American, to which Arthur scoffed.

"Honestly, the best steak I ever had was when I was younger, my mother…" He started, smiling and sitting back in his seat for comfort's sake, but suddenly paused and frowned at the mention of his own mother. Ren watched him carefully, aware of the rumors surrounding him and the mention of Arthur's parents. "Well, nevermind…" Arthur verbally waved the statement off. "But I've had really good steak in the past, trust me."

"The rumors aren't true, it seems." Ren stated, leaning back and crossing his arms. "As I expected…"

"I already told you they weren't, what else did you expect from me?" Arthur leaned forward. "Truth be told, though. I used to be way worse than this…" He mumbled under his breath with a shake of his head. Sighing, he brought his eyes up to meet Ren's, a new smile motif on his lips. "Oh well, that's neither here nor there. What about the rumors surrounding you?"

"Huh?" Ren asked, momentarily surprised with the question.

"Don't be so surprised, you've told me about them before, remember?" Arthur reminded him. Ren sat for a moment in silence, thinking. When the cat suddenly mewled out loud, Ren nodded as if he remembered. "So what were they about? Did people say you were crazy too? Avoid you like the plague? Were they scared of you, just like they are with me?" Arthur asked question after question, to which Ren remained silent.

Arthur raised a hand, beckoning him to answer the question, but Ren didn't. At least not immediately. He just sat there, thinking back to the days when he had first transferred to Shujin, his reputation as a criminal following him because a certain teacher had everything leaked to the student body. Ren was a victim of both misinformation and unfair labels from society, and Ren knew Arthur was in the same boat.

But what Ren didn't understand was how Arthur was operating. Ren took everything in stride, ignored the rumors to the best of his ability and refused to let the unfairness and cruelty get to him. But Arthur? He seemed to not care, but at the same time he did. Ren didn't understand how well Arthur was handling it all, and just like Ren, Arthur was lucky to make a friend in Ichisake.

More so when everyone else had abandoned Arthur to drown in the labels and rumors.

Ren sighed, hoping deep inside himself that Arthur was OK. He'd been through this hell himself before, and would wish it on no one.

"I don't know which of our situations is worse, though…" Ren stated suddenly from his momentary silence. "People thought I was a criminal. People think you're crazy." He stated lowly, watching Arthur for any reaction, be it positive or negative. Arthur didn't say anything, he just looked down below the table with Ren's words. "Criminals can be rehabilitated and be reborn as functional members of society. That is what people think of them. But crazy people?" Ren rose a finger, pausing momentarily to give Arthur a moment to catch up. "Crazy people are mired in instability, and the cognition of crazy is that it is an incurable condition. That title doesn't just go away like " _criminal_ " does."

Arthur nodded. To anyone else, Ren would've sounded as if he was too smart for his own good, but Arthur understood it all. Basically, Ren was saying that people perceived Arthur as insane, and that would stick with him for as long as he remained in Tokyo, even if the rumors faded away in memory. "I can't say I thought you would say that, Amamiya-kun. But…" Arthur said, sighing. "It sounds accurate to how it would play out."

Ren nodded, uncrossing his arms and glancing at his cat. "The rumors about me, however…" He started, joining Arthur by leaning on the table. "...They were probably true at first, but like all rumors they spiraled and escalated. I soon went from a " _troublemaker"_ and " _inconvenience_ " to " _drug trafficker"_ and " _murderer"_. Then… it got even crazier? Ugh..." Ren informed Arthur, shaking his head at how easily people can be influenced by words and how gullible students and teachers are to rumors.

Arthur could only join him in his disappointment. People were really easily influenced by words, and Arthur was experiencing that firsthand now, as he had before back in the home country.

Ren looked up at Arthur a moment before shrugging. "You had asked me about the rumors concerning me, they've gone and passed. People barely even glance my way twice now. Most people have forgotten what they had labeled me, and that's how it works with titles like that. But with the title of " _crazy_ " and " _insane_ ", it's much harder to be rid of than " _criminal_ ", Williams-san." Ren stated, much to Arthur's dissatisfaction. As much as Arthur hated to admit it, Ren was right. Painfully right. "It's all cognition."

"I suppose you are right…" Arthur murmured, steadily becoming unsure of a lot of things. No less the rumors surrounding him. "I...can at least thank you for your honesty, as brutal as it is."

Ren shook his head. "I do not mean to discourage you, I am just simply trying to inform you that you may not go through the same trials I went through. Your title is much more different than mine. The ramifications of it differ vastly as well." He slowly added before gesturing to himself. "Do I seem like a criminal?" He asked suddenly.

Arthur looked at him, and simply shook his head as his response. "No, in fact you seem very smart, nice, and aware of your situation… Having both those traits and that talent is rare in us youth, today."

Ren nodded, silently agreeing with the young American. "And you seem like a sharp, friendly young man… You don't even seem to be as mentally unstable as everyone says you are." Ren countered with a small smile growing. Arthur smiled as well, snickering briefly.

"At least I was able to fool _someone_." Arthur and Ren then shared a laugh, and even the cat seemed to snicker in it's own way, having observed the whole conversation between the two young men. When the two settled down, Arthur sighed and let his warm grin grow bigger as he watched the cat, who in turn watched him readily.

His gaze lingered a moment, then his eyes shifted across the room as he noticed the hostess appear from behind a door.

"You know, Ren." Arthur stated watching as their hostess approached from the far end of the diner; two plates in tow. "I think we're more alike than we realize." Arthur confided.

"How so?" Ren asked, genuinely curious at the concept Arthur was proposing.

"We've both been fairly unlabeled by society for things of the past, we're both obviously very intelligent - Ichisake is nice and all, but it's also refreshing to talk to someone who can keep up with me intellectually - and as you stated on the train ride here you're living with a guardian because your parents couldn't deal with you… I guess I'm in the same boat there, too…" Arthur lowered his head.

"Here's your food, enjoy!" The hostess said, placing a large plate before Arthur and Ren.

Ren thanked her with a warm smile, and when she walked away he turned his gaze back on Arthur, who was seemingly troubled by what he himself had just said.

"But you're a foreign exchange student…" Ren noted, basically explaining why Arthur was with a guardian and not his parents in as few words as possible.

Arthur chuckled, much to Ren's confusion, and looked up at the young Japanese student. His eyes looked dead serious.

"Yeah, but… There's always a reason behind everything…"

"Hmph…" Ren huffed, picking up the fork and knife from the plate before him. "Well, no need to brew on that, my friend." Ren smiled, giving the young American a warm and kind feeling in his stomach. "Let's eat. I promise you will not leave this place hungry."

Arthur, suddenly grinning widely at having been called " _friend_ ", rose in his seat full of new confidence and nodded as he grabbed his set of utensils.

* * *

_**I am thou, thou art I…** _

_**Thou hast acquired a new vow.** _

_**It shall become the wings of rebellion** _

_**that breaketh thy chains of captivity.** _

_**With the birth of the Guardian Persona,** _

_**I have obtained the winds of blessing that** _

_**shall lead to freedom and new power…** _

* * *

Arthur gave one look at his food, and shook his head quite dimly. "Nothing like the portions back in the home country…" He mumbled.

Ren didn't say anything, instead only snickering at the amusing remark.

Just as Arthur was about to begin, he couldn't but look up at Ren, who already had gravy on his lips and chin. A sudden thought fell upon the young American.

"Hey, uh… Is it alright if I call you Ren?" Arthur asked suddenly out of the blue, the question having surprised Ren as he wiped the gravy off his face.

Nodding, Ren bartered "As long as you don't mind granting me a similar honor, Arthur."

Arthur, his grin wide and bright, turned his view back on his meal.

Nearby, oblivious to the two young men, sat a red-eyed girl. Her head was buried in a manga comic with a bowl of rice on the way. Occasionally she would lower her comic, catching an eyeful of the two students she stalked. She huffed, watching as they spoke to one another like they've known each other all their lives.

"Does Williams know...?" She asked herself, observing Arthur with a suspicious eye.

"Williams…"

"Amamiya…"

"Phantom Thieves…"

* * *

The two left on very amicable terms that Saturday afternoon. They were just finishing their meal when Ren received a text. One that seemed rather urgent, and he quickly wrapped up their conversation so he could depart. He had apologized to Arthur as well for ending things so quickly, but Arthur was understanding. He told Ren that when life calls, life calls, and to take care of his business before making commitments.

Ren, placing his payment on the table, left with his cat, leaving Arthur alone in the diner. He was smiling, knowing he had made a new friend, and someone who could keep up with him intellectually as well. He soon left as well, not just the diner, but Central Street entirely.

When he had returned home, it seemed as though everything was going back to a norm. His guardian still wasn't home, and he had no school the next day.

He turned in for the night rather early, the heavy meal he had eaten taken a real toll on his energy.

But unlike his day, the night he slept through would be filled only with panic and tears.

He wriggled and writhed in his bed, sweat dripping off his face and incomprehensible murmurs echoing from his lips. His breathing would escalate at times, then calm down for a few moments of peace before escalating again into panic. It wasn't until midnight that he was forced awake, having witnessed in his sleep something he wished never to see again.

He was drenched in sweat, his shirt clinging to his skin in a wet sopping mess. His hair frazzled and greasy-looking, and only the dark of his room greeted him upon awakening.

The night passed over from there pretty quickly, with Arthur falling back asleep only two hours later. A peaceful, dreamless sleep followed.

Sunday passed by quickly as well, Arthur spent it mainly in the apartment browsing the internet. Ichisake texted him a few times throughout the day but the conversations never held. Ichisake himself had asked in those texts if he had missed anything at school, to which Arthur replied with the Inokashira Park clean-up event. Everything besides that were just moments of boredom between the two young men.

During his time on the internet, Arthur kept thinking back to a dream he had not too long ago, where he was in a blue morgue, in the presence of a bizarre old man.

And the instructions given to him echoed within his mind from time to time…

" _Seek out these Phantom Thieves._ " The man had demanded of him. " _Befriend them._ "

And when Arthur brooded on these words, he also found that he would be staring at a website on his browser. A website he would have no memory of looking up, but in his search history he would realize it was not hard to locate.

"The Phantom Aficionado Website..." Arthur murmured, reading the title aloud. He scrolled through the posts, forums, and even a page filled with requests. He huffed, coming to a quick conclusion. "It doesn't matter what the media or public think, it seems… There are those out there who believe in the Phantom Thieves… But do I?" He asked himself. He sat still for a moment, thinking. But in the end he could not come up with an answer to his own question.

He saved the page on his favorites tab, expecting to need it in the future if he truly was to seek these supernatural bandits out.  
Arthur had the apartment to himself again, with Himura having been called into work around noon. Himura did not seem happy at all about the development, but did not at all complain. He even chuckled lightly, saying "More pay at the end of the road, I guess…".

Arthur wasn't happy, though. Himura hasn't had a day off in two weeks now. He barely has had any time to spend with his guardian and longtime friend not to mention working so long without any break in between is not good for anyone's sanity and stress.

Arthur knowing a thing or two about stress himself.

But he also knew he couldn't say anything to Himura, as Himura didn't have a choice in the matter. When work called, one had to answer or risk being disciplined - or worse.

It wasn't until nine PM that Himura returned, and Himura barely said a word to Arthur. He simply collapsed on the sofa, and swiftly drifted into a peaceful, benign sleep.

Arthur followed, and before they knew it. It was Monday.

May thirtieth.

* * *

" _Ah, wonderful…_ _ **He's**_ _here…."_

" _ **He**_ _came? Oh… I wonder what group he's in…?"_

" _Hopefully not mine…_ "

 _"Shouldn't he be in a counseling session? Y'know, so he doesn't murder one of us?_ "

" _I'm scared…_ "

* * *

His phone buzzed.

Checking it, he found no notification.

Another rogue buzz.

He scowled, annoyed at his phone for its malfunction.

Every so often it did this, and it started with his plane ride into Japan.

He could never figure out the cause for it, and no matter how many times he rebooted his phone, the phenomenon would continue just a day later as if Arthur never made an attempt to fix it.

He sighed, setting it to the side as the idea of another reboot did not sound like it would plausibly work at this point.

"What's wrong?" Ichisake asked.

"Nothing.. Just my phone acting up is all…"

Ichisake nodded, relaxing on the bench next to his American pal.

The two had met halfway at the Shibuya station and traveled together to Inokashira Park. Both were indeed in their gym clothes - bright red and white striped sweatpants and sweatshirts, while Ichisake was wearing a matching beanie with the Shujin logo on the front - and it seemed no one else failed to get the memo. There were many students in the park, few adults hung around, and nearby the red-eyed girl from their class was walking in between various groups and speaking with them. What she was doing was beyond Arthur's comprehension, and frankly he didn't care.

Looking around the park at first glance, Arthur could tell easily that the park desperately needed this cleanup. There were bottles, paper plates, utensils, umbrellas, overturned trash cans, bags, food, anything and everything imaginable dotted the landscape.

It disgusted Arthur, knowing people do this kind of stuff to such beautiful scenes. Even Ichisake seemed disappointed, and he didn't really seem to be one who cared for nature.

"People are fucking garbage, honestly." Ichisake mulled lowly, giving Arthur a reason to chuckle.

"We're people, y'know?" Arthur informed him with an amused smile.

Ichisake didn't say anything nor did he look at Arthur. He simply nodded at Arthur's words, watching the sparse few adults that came to the park. He was sneering the whole time. That only gave Arthur further cause to giggle.

For a while the two just sat there, watching the slowly growing crowd of students. Most students had separated into their own little groups of friends, including Ren and Ann, who Arthur noticed arrived minutes after he did. They seemed to know each other as well, as they had been spending most of their time with each other and two other boys ever since they arrived.

Some students were setting up what looked like a cooking area, with coolers and pots and pans scattered about. A teacher seemed to be amongst them, and the girls of the cooking team seemed to be fawning all over him. He was either oblivious to this behavior, or outright ignored it.

Ichisake sighed, sitting back on his bench seat. "I'd rather be at school, if you want my full opinion…"

Arthur didn't say anything, at least not at first. He was still watching the people passing by. Mostly students at this point, as it seemed most adults didn't want to be around this many teenagers. But when Ichisake nudged him, he turned his attention on his friend. "Oh, yeah?"

"Is people watching really that interesting?" Ichisake shook his head, not fully understanding the concept.

"It really is. You can tell alot about people by the way they carry themselves, who they associate with, and how they react to certain situations." Arthur said, keeping his eye on a passing group of students. "Knowing you, you probably don't care for such things though…"

"Nope." Ichisake replied immediately, a small chuckle following. "I like editing photos and creating memes.."

It was Arthur's turn to laugh. "Well, heheh, it is important to focus on what you're good at." Arthur conceded, sitting back on the bench as well and enjoying the cool air. There was a slight breeze blowing, and in conjunction with the warm sunlight, it felt really nice on Arthur's skin. Their brief moment of silence was interrupted when a voice nearby, completely alien to Arthur, spoke up.

"Ah, and here are the two I've been looking for all this time…" Someone suddenly said, startling Arthur briefly. "How could I have missed the only American citizen at our school, sitting in the wide open like it's no one's business?" They had asked, as if to no one in particular but themselves. Arthur blinked, unsure of where it came from. Ichisake heard the voice too and joined Arthur in his confusion.

They looked around briefly, but saw no one. At least no one that looked like they were trying to talk to them. Their gazes then landed on each other, both had a very befuddled expression on their faces.

"You say something, Ichisake?" Arthur asked, confused as there was no one around them that seemed interested in speaking with them.

Ichisake shook his head slowly "No, I kinda thought you said something for a minute there…"

"Wasn't me…" Arthur informed him, causing his friend to start scratching his head in sheer confusion. Nearby, they heard someone sigh in what sounded like absolute frustration.

"I'm right behind you two…" The mystery voice had said. The duo turned around, and Ichisake slightly jumped when he realized who it was. Arthur, however, wasn't as off-guard as his friend.

"Oh." Arthur hummed.

Standing there, behind the two young men, was a somewhat familiar sight to Arthur. He had seen her around the school a good number of times, but most of the time he saw her, she was in his class. Sitting alone and keeping to her studies.

Standing before them was the red-eyed girl with the bob cut that Arthur has come to recognize her for. Wearing the very same uniform they wore, but instead of sweatpants, she wore shorts. She seemed slightly frustrated with what had just happened, but other than that she seemed to betray no other emotion.

"Oh, Niijima-senpai…" Ichisake stumbled, surprised that the girl was even talking to them. At first his eyes were wide, but they soon narrowed with his next question. "I suppose I saw you around but… What do you want with us?" Ichisake had asked, his surprise swiftly turning into what sounded like something equalling disapproval.

"We're in the same grade, not to mention the same class, Miyara-kun." She said, crossing her arms as she spoke. "I'm not your senpai."

"Yes, but…" Ichisake started, before glancing at Arthur. Arthur himself looked confused, and Ichisake didn't know what to do with that. He simply conceded and lowered his head. "Uh, nevermind…"

The disapproval was still there in his voice, but Arthur couldn't tell why that was.

"The center of all the current rumors, and his not-so-lucky friend." She said, as if she was analyzing the two of them. "I guess I can't say I'm surprised to see the two of you together."

"We're friends, what of it?" Ichisake asked her, surprising Arthur with his sudden hostility.

Even the girl seemed surprised, as she uncrossed her arms and stared at Ichisake for a good moment before shaking her head. As if she was brushing off Ichisake's apparent disgust of her.

"Nothing." She finally said, regaining her momentum. "I'm just coming to greet you. I figured it's best - and prudent - that I introduce myself to the foreign exchange student." She gestured to Arthur while sporting a light smile. "Me and him will be working for the next few hours together, you know?" She added, as if the two were in the know.

Arthur slowly shook his head. "Uh, what do you mean?" Arthur asked, confused. Even Ichisake seemed confused, as he didn't understand what she meant either. The girl looked at him, surprised he hadn't heard. "And just who are you, for that matter?" Arthur added, genuinely curious as to who this girl is.

"Oh, you don't know who I am…?" She asked.

"What? You...you don't know who she is?" Ichisake asked in turn, finding himself incredibly surprised with Arthur's admittance. "Are you serious?"

"I have to say, I'm rather surprised you don't know… You've been here two weeks now, have you not?" The girl added to her original question. "Well, no matter I suppose. I'm Makoto Niijima. No need to introduce yourself, Williams-kun. I already know your name. You're all anyone talks about right now, anyways."

Arthur, having understood his name was common knowledge at this point - not to mention she was present when he was first introduced by his teacher - slowly nodded his response. Ichisake didn't say anything, and instead just scoffed under his breath. Makoto glanced at him, a slight look of disapproval dotting her face, but she then shook her head and ignored him further.

"Anyways, Williams-kun." Makoto started, leaning to her side as she spoke. "I'm assuming, from that whole interaction, you're not in the know. So let me inform you that the groups have already been decided. You're in my group with two other students." She told Arthur. Looking over at Ichisake, she added "You, Miyara-kun, are in Tsukino-san's group. I'm sure you know her well." She added.

Ichisake huffed, "Yes, Ms. Council President…" Ichisake stated with a sour tone, leaning onto his knees and avoiding her gaze to the best of his ability. He was very miffed he couldn't hang out with his only real friend at this event, but chose not to argue with it.

Besides, with Makoto, he knew he couldn't win even if he tried.

"President…?" Arthur murmured curiously, but no one seemed to have heard him.

Makoto then turned her gaze on the crowd of students gathering at a crossroads - the meeting point for everyone when the event would start and end. Feeling the hostility Ichisake was providing, and realizing it was finally time, she gave Arthur a quick word in edgewise. "Well, I suppose I should just leave you two be… It's time we get started, anyways. I'll come get you in a minute, but let me get everyone on track. I look forward to working with you, Williams-kun." Makoto offered him before turning away and heading off.

Ichisake huffed but otherwise kept quiet. Arthur, confused about the whole situation regarding Ichisake's hostility, just watched him as he baked in his silence. Ichisake glanced over, watching as Makoto walked away. When it became apparent she was finally out of earshot, the young man scoffed and sat back in his seat, glaring at her from where he sat.

Arthur, confused to his hostility, questioned it. Ichisake was surprised that Arthur wasn't in the know.

"You were looking into the Kamoshida incident, yeah?" Ichisake asked, glowing with surprise from Arthur's lack of knowledge on Makoto's supposed involvement. "Well, get this: Rumor has it she knew about the whole thing. The sexual harassment, the physical abuse… She covered it all up hoping to get a fancy recommendation from the principal to some good college."

Arthur watched him closely, hearing those words - " _rumor_ " in particular - sparked a small frown from him but he chose not to say anything. Not yet, anyways.

"Because she's the student council president?" Arthur played along, using what little knowledge he had to come to this conclusion. Ichisake smiled.

"Sharp as ever, Arthur." He commented idly, covering his chin with the palm of his hand as he thought back to the Kamoshida incident. "Yes, though. Because of all that, she's not real popular with the student body. Everyone thinks she's just a sickening kiss-ass." He added, watching the president talking with a nearby faculty member. He snorted, shaking his head at the thought she was involved in the cover up everyone's talked about.

Arthur followed his gaze briefly, landing his eyes on Makoto. She seemed to be unaware they were watching her. The faculty member she was speaking with handed her a megaphone, and it seemed whatever they were talking about was coming to a close.

"You know..?" Arthur started, watching the exchange from afar. "I don't like rumors. Therefore I don't pay credence to them." He told Ichisake, taking Ichisake off guard. "And you shouldn't either. You do realize we both are subject to untrue rumors now, yes?"

Ichisake scoffed, shaking his head as he grouchily replied with "That's fair, I suppose. But you weren't here during all that bullshit…"

Arthur didn't hesitate to defend her, despite the fact he barely knew her. "It's unfair to bias someone personally based on what you hear especially when you are the subject of such douchery. Seeing is believing, my friend." Arthur chastised Ichisake. Ichisake didn't say a word, he simply watched and listened to Arthur, who had agitation dripping from his voice. "That's why I people watch. You can tell alot by their actions. Not by what you hear. I've had rumors spread about me for the longest time, Ichisake. Not just in Japan. I will not let rumors dictate how I picture someone."

Ichisake remained silent, and when Arthur turned away from him, he slowly slouched down on his side of the bench. His gaze hit the dirt below, and Arthur huffed. He was incredibly annoyed that someone he thought highly of could let baseless rumors affect his view on someone, especially when he himself is the subject of such gossip.

"I gotta say: I'm incredibly disappointed you're letting your own bias be dictated by what other people say…" Arthur told him, turning his glaring eyes on his friend. "By doing that, you're no better than the kids who say those awful things about you and me."

Ichisake slowly nodded, twiddling his thumbs as he took in every word. Arthur shook his head, crossing his arms as he leaned forward. Silence prevailed between the two for a moment before Ichisake clicked his tongue and stood up, stretching his legs as awkwardness set in between them.

"Welp… I'm…. gonna go find my group… I'll text you after all this is done…" Ichisake dimly stated, keeping his voice low as he could. "I'll….seeya later, Arthur…" He bade Arthur, stumbling off as if he was just hit by a bus.

Might as well have been, with the painful truth Arthur had spat at him.

On some level Arthur felt bad for getting on to one of his few friends in Japan, but Arthur also knew to be a good friend one has to steer his friends onto the right path if needed. Arthur did just that, even if he didn't take the best approach possible.

Casting his eyes back towards where Makoto had been standing, he was mildly surprised to see she was standing there, looking directly at him. But when she noticed he was looking back at her, she turned away. Pretending as if she hadn't been observing.

Arthur was genuinely upset at Ichisake, for Ichisake seemed like such a sweet young man. He didn't look like someone, at first glance, who endeavoured into flights of fancy. Nor did he seem like someone who would hold a grudge. But it became very apparent he harbored one towards Makoto, who Arthur felt didn't deserve such scorn.

He even doubted that, as student council president, she would've known about such a scandal like teacher-student sexual harassment and physical abuse. It didn't seem logical that she would be in the know of such atrocities.

But Arthur was biased in his own right, being the subject of nasty rumors himself both in Japan and in America. He knew this as well. But ignored it. He knew what the right thing to do was in that situation.

He heard a voice pipe up, and he quickly realized it was Makoto's.

" _Good morning, Shujin Academy students and staff…_ "

He looked over, realizing she was speaking from the megaphone. It seemed the event was finally starting.

Arthur sighed, the whole incident had put a sour taste in his mouth, and he knew he wouldn't be hearing the end of it.

But he also knew Ichisake was a good egg inside. If Ichisake would hold this against him, Arthur couldn't foresee it.

" _Please pick up all trash located in areas assigned to your group._ "

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Proof read and edited by a friend named Frozen Foe on my Discord server.


	9. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "The time is almost upon us. He will begin his search soon. I will ensure it."

* * *

It was clear Arthur's presence was unwelcome in the group.

Everyone but the council president looked uneasy with him, and they kept their distance. Neither student looked at him directly, and the intimidation they were feeling became even more clear when they spoke.

It was him and three other third years. Makoto Niijima, the student council president. A young woman who happened to be on the volleyball team, Kae Wakaizumi, and another boy who refused to give his name upon introductions out of sheer fear of Arthur.

Kae shared his fear, keeping a minimum few feet in between Arthur and herself at all times. She didn't dare look him in the eye, either.

Makoto, on the other hand, made it clear she wasn't intimidated by Arthur or the rumors surrounding him. True to her word, she collected him first when gathering her group. She talked with him and didn't try to keep a distance.

"So, we all know what we're doing, yes?" Makoto confirmed everyone's role within the group. Kae nodded, keeping her voice silent if she didn't need to speak. The otherwise unnamed student joined her, and Arthur, noticing this behavior, tried his best to lighten the mood with a bright and friendly smile.

"I understand my role perfectly." He said. Only Makoto looked at him, and she nodded a confirmation.

They had already decided who the group leader would be, and Makoto was the only one everyone in the group would unanimously vote on. At first she didn't seem like she wanted the role, but neither Kae nor the other student offered. But suddenly when Arthur indicated his interest, the other two students suddenly started voting for Makoto, much to her surprise. She seemed fine with letting Arthur be the leader but the other two, especially Kae, were adamant it be Makoto.

Arthur didn't argue. He just simply chuckled, much to everyone's surprise. Especially Kae's, who seemed to be adamantly against being under his leadership. "Niijima-san, you fine with this?" Arthur asked, smiling at everyone's sudden change of heart. "I don't care either way."

"I guess so…" Makoto slowly replied, not sure how to feel with everyone's sudden hostility. But also knew it was to be expected, what with Arthur's reputation around the school. "Then, I suppose we should get started." Makoto then added, satisfied with the result she received.

She had the tools her team needed by her feet. Reaching down, she handed a grabber to both Kae and Arthur as well as a garbage bag for both of them. "Alright everyone, our area is the swan boat landing and the little bridge next to it. We're gonna start with the bridge and work our way to the landing. Williams-kun, Wakaizumi-chan, you take the left side of the bridge. We'll tackle the right."

Kae's eyes shot open, and she looked in between Arthur and Makoto at the realization she was being told to go with Arthur.

"We'll meet up on the other side and take care of the swan boat landing before the hours out."

Kae stepped forward, her voice quivering."Uh… Niijima-san… Do...Do I have to go with… Williams-kun?" She asked, doing her best to avoid eye contact with Arthur, who felt a bit upset but didn't show it.

Makoto nodded, aware of the reason behind Kae's hesitation. "We all need to pitch in and do our part."

Kae opened her mouth, wanting to say something, to object to being paired with the rumored crazy student, but she kept silent. She just glanced at Arthur before quietly taking her garbage bag and shuffling off towards the bridge.

Makoto shook her head. Arthur, meanwhile, frowned at the fact he was going to be with someone who was terrified of him.

Especially if she was terrified enough to bring up a brief argument with the student council president.

* * *

Arthur did the best he could with what he was given.

Nothing but a grabber, a garbage bag, and a timid partner to work with.

Kae was a third year, much like him, that looked to be the same age as Arthur. Sporting a black ponytail and green eyes similar to Arthurs', and wearing a red tank top and red and white striped shorts. She certainly seemed at first glance like she was carefree and didn't let much get to her, but when meeting her Arthur realized she seemed almost like a pushover.

Of course, that was a thought Arthur didn't relish having. He barely knows her, and there was a high probability she was acting so timid because of Arthur's reputation around the school. She was frightened, and if Arthur was in her shoes, he knew she'd have every right to be based on what she has heard of him.

Arthur tried making small talk with her and even popping lighthearted jokes directed at her springing from various things such as the event and the garbage he found, but every time he tried he was met with stiff resistance.

" _Yeah…_ " She would say at times, barely lookin at him. Or " _I see…_ " at other moments. Arthur would frown at the reticence she was providing and get back to work, slightly upset at the turn of events but accepting them as he knew there was little he could do to change it.

Meanwhile, Makoto and the other third year worked hard nearby, doing their part of the job on the other side of the bridge. She would occasionally glance at Arthur, watching his interactions with Kae with extreme interest, as if she was trying to figure something out herself.

Arthur didn't notice. He was too busy trying to do his job and defuse the tension.

But defusing had failed to a large degree. At one point he decided, after witnessing Kae keeping a healthy-seeming distance and remaining quiet unless spoken to, to just give up. He had decided that some people are just hopeless in trying to prove oneself to, and Kae seemed to be one of them.

At one point he placed a water bottle floating in the water before him in his garbage bag, and when he turned his gaze back to the flowing water, he couldn't help but look at it..

His reflection stared back. A small smile burrowed onto his lips, all the while his glasses slowly slipped down the bridge of his nose.

But it wasn't his reflection that he was taking interest in.

It was the small turtle that was staring back up at him.

"There's a turtle over here…" Arthur remarked out loud, catching Kae's timid attention.

Kae looked up from the collection of garbage she was accruing to look at Arthur, who had stooped over to watch the small turtle before him. For a moment she didn't say anything, but then she sat her garbage bag to the dirt as she tried to confirm Arthur's words. "A…..turtle?" She slowly asked, unsure if she had heard him right.

"Yeah." Arthur confirmed, slowly sticking a hand into the water to touch the turtle's shell. "He's just sitting here, watching me." He added, not noticing for a second that Kae had said more than two words to him. Kae just gulped, unsure of what to do with that information or how he would react to seeing an animal. When his fingers touched the turtle's shell, it didn't wince nor retreat into its shell. It simply sat there, continuing to stare at him. "Cute little fella, aintcha?" Arthur remarked, smiling as he rubbed the creature's shell.

Kae, meanwhile, had a surprised look on her face born from this remark.

"You… like animals?" She asked, cautiously approaching Arthur from behind to get a good look both at what he was doing and seeing. Arthur, still not realizing he was actually getting her to talk, replied with a smile that remained directed at the turtle.

"I had a turtle when I was younger. So, I guess?" Arthur told her, moving a finger to scratch the turtle's curious head. It seemed like it was enjoying this attention.

"Huh…" Kae grunted, unsure of Arthur's sincerity on the subject. But Arthur, hearing this evident caution, brushed it off. She didn't have to believe him. He didn't care if she didn't.

She stood over him, looking over his shoulder. She opened her mouth, surprised to see he was actually telling the truth and not either seeing things nor making anything up to impress her.

"There actually is…" She said, unable to say anything else. Arthur chuckled, looking up at her.

"What? Thought I was lying?" He asked with a widening grin. The girl, feeling slightly threatened, backed away. His grin then faltered, just as his glasses finally slipped off his nose.

"Wha-" Arthur gasped, scrambling to catch his glasses. They bounced around in his hands, fumbling, almost as if he was juggling them. But as quickly as he was moving, he wasn't able to get a grip. They bounced out of his hands, and plummeted into the water below. "Ah!"

They barely made a splash, but did indeed make a loud plink.

He quickly reached into the water, all the while Kae began giggling at the misfortune she was witnessing. He shifted his arm every which way, trying to locate the spectacles in the deep water by feel alone. He was elbow deep in weeds and water at this point.

"Come on… Where are you…?" He asked himself, only feeling grass, dirt, and water.

"Uh…." Kae suddenly spoke up. "I think _he_ has them."

Arthur looked up at her, witnessing her pointing to something past him. He turned downriver, and there he spotted a blurry, yet obvious figure swimming away in a frenzy.

The very turtle he was giving attention to, with his glasses clamped firmly in its jaws.

"I-" Arthur gabbed, slowly getting to his feet and watching the turtle get further and further away. The further it got, the more clear it became in his vision. "W-w-what… I… T-turtle...?" He stammered, unsure of what just happened.

Kae, meanwhile, giggled even further at his reaction. Arthur noticed and looked at her, surprised completely to see that she was offering anything close to joy around him.

"That was unfortunate…" She remarked, an amused look plastered on her face. But Arthur couldn't share her amusement, he was just perplexed and surprised to no end.

"My glasses…." He continued to stammer, still unsure of what just happened.

"Can you see without them?" Kae asked, stepping up next to him to see if she could still spot the turtle.

Arthur slowly nodded. "I'm… just farsighted is all… But… My glasses…" He continued. . "I just got robbed by a turtle..."

The girl giggled before turning away. "I guess he needed them more." She said. Arthur didn't respond, he just kept his eyes on the water. Trying to spot the animal, but to no avail. It was gone.

Along with his glasses.

"But…. Why, turtle?"

* * *

"So, have you figured out a solution to our problem, Principal Kobayakawa?" The vice principal asked, leaning forward onto his superiors' desk. "You know? The one we discussed-"

"Yes." Kobayakawa replied with a hint of annoyance in his tone. "I am fully aware of when we last discussed it and yes I have been probing for a solution among my staff."

The vice principal looked at him, interested completely in hearing of any solutions. "If you have any solutions in mind, do tell."

The principal sighed and stood up from his seat, slowly wobbling around to the vice principal so he could speak in a much quieter tone.

"Mr. Sakutaro continues to report on Williams-kun's good behavior and even the exemplary conduct he has towards the class _and_ his work." The principal informed him. "Meanwhile rumors spread about Williams. Some accurate, some complete nonsense. We've had a leak, and it's disorienting the school once again." He looked over to the door, and motioned the vice principal to check on it.

The vice principal understood and did so, even locking the door for good measure when he found it was indeed closed shut. As he was locking the door, the principal posed a question for him. One that caused his head to turn as if on a swivel.

"You haven't said anything, have you?" Kobayakawa asked him.

"Goodness, no!" The vice principal turned around, surprised to have been asked this of his boss and friend. "Why would you suspect me?" He added.

The principal sighed once again. "Because only you and I should know of what we talked about. Now the whole student body knows…" Kobayakawa pointed out, much to the dissatisfaction of the vice principal.

The vice principal put his hands on his hips. "So that automatically makes me a suspect?" He narrowed his eyes, his voice getting low and disappointed. Kobayakawa quickly raised his hands to defuse the topic, stammering his words as he tried to speak.

"No no no! I was just stating the obvious, Mr. Vice Principal! I trust you. I believe you!" He said, causing the vice principal to ease in his stance. "We're not here to talk about what caused the leak though… We're here to discuss my solutions." He added, lowering his hands as he spoke. The vice principal nodded, and Kobayakawa motioned him to come closer.

"Solutions haven't been easy to come by. But I have spoken with our new counselor…" Kobayakawa stated, leaning onto his desk as the vice principal approached him.

"That may actually be a sensible idea, if I'm understanding you." The vice principal agreed quickly.

"Yes. Maruki has agreed, if Williams-kun is up to the idea, to speak with him on a regular basis. He doesn't want to do it if Williams isn't willing." The principal said, shaking his head at the thought of it being made an optional choice. "According to Maruki, Williams is in a precarious situation mentally. He may suffer a relapse if he's forced into something like this."

"We don't want that…" The vice principal murmured.

Kobayakawa nodded at the obvious his vice principal stated. But as much as he wanted it to be mandatory, he knew that if Arthur relapsed and had an episode, it would negatively affect the school as a whole, not just in the publics' eyes, but also in the school districts' eyes.

He may even lose his position if the scandals continue to mount up on his plate.

"No… We do not."

* * *

The rest of the cleanup went off without too much of a bang. Arthur had a little more trouble getting his work done without his glasses, and he was still visibly confused and shocked at what had happened that for a while he just didn't say anything to anyone. He couldn't take his mind off the fact he got mugged by a turtle. Even Kae noticed, who up to this point had gotten used to Arthur's vocality.

In fact, Kae seemed to have softened a little after what she had witnessed. From Arthur showing care for a turtle to his reaction of said turtle running off with his glasses. She quickly stopped distancing herself from him, and even looked at him on occasion. She was still quiet around him, but when he finally got around to actually speaking again she would reply in more than one or two word sentences and with a louder voice than the soft one she offered before.

Arthur didn't notice, though. He was too busy trying to figure out what he was going to do without his glasses. Farsightedness wasn't a fun thing to deal with.

Before he knew it, the cleanup stage was complete. He and Kae had met up with Makoto and the other third year at the swan boat landing, where Makoto had asked "Williams-kun, what happened to your glasses?"

Arthur didn't know how to respond at first and just looked at her for a moment before looking down into the water. At this point the whole group was looking at him, including Kae.

"I…." He started slowly, rubbing the back of his skull as he tried to make it seem less embarrassing. He couldn't do it. "I...err… got robbed….by a turtle…" He told her, looking back at her with a rather bashful look on his face.

She just stared at him for a moment, while Kae giggled and the other third year looked astonished. It seemed Makoto didn't know what to say.

"OK then." Makoto said, cutting her eyes downwards at the grass as she attempted to comprehend his words. "And you didn't go after them?" She asked, setting her stuff down before crossing her arms.

Arthur didn't say anything. He was as surprised as she was.

"Well." Kae started, stepping past Arthur. "He didn't want to hurt the turtle, nor did he want to jump into waist deep water and make a fool of himself." She said, glancing back at Arthur and surprising him with her sudden willingness to defend him.

Arthur didn't say anything. There was nothing he could say. At least not at this point. If anything, the only feeling he felt was the feeling of being an idiot.

Makoto mulled over Kae's words a moment, looking directly at Arthur as she thought and compressed every word mentally. Suddenly, she huffed and righted her stature. "Well, fair enough. I suppose it can't be helped at this point anyways. Let's just hope they don't cause any damage to the ecosystem, or to the turtle himself."

After that exchange, they quickly found themselves done with their portion of the cleanup as well as many of the other students. Makoto had walked off to give a short thank you to everyone with that megaphone of hers, leaving Kae and the other third year alone with Arthur. None of the students spoke to one another. Kae occasionally exchanged glances with the other third year. Suddenly, without saying a word, he walked off. Surprising Kae and Arthur as they stood there, alone and quiet.

Then, moments later, Kae looked at Arthur with a sheepish look on her face.

"I'm… gonna go…" She said, almost as if she regretted saying it. "My friends are gonna be looking for me… It was nice meeting you, Williams-kun…" She added, a polite smile growing. Arthur, noticing her sudden change in attitude towards him, smiled back and offered the same goodbye.

"Same to you, Wakaizumi-san." Arthur smiled at her. "Thank you for participating in this with me."

The girl nodded but did nothing more. Slowly she backed away, shuffling on her feet for a few moments - keeping a steady eye on Arthur for any reaction. When it became clear Arthur wasn't going to stop her, she turned on her heels.

Arthur lost track of her in the big crowd of students that flooded the park.

" _The cleanup is officially complete. Thank you for your hard work, everyone."_

Arthur took a few steps back, looking for the chair that sat vacant at the swan boat landing. He had accidentally knocked it into the water during his fumbling with his cleanup, which elicited an annoyed sigh from Makoto and an amused chuckle from Kae. It looked like it was still wet, but Arthur didn't care.

" _Would the leader of each group please come and get the soup for their teams?_ "

Pulling out his phone, he saw that he had received a few notifications while he was busy working.

"Huh… Himura and Ichisake…." He mumbled, surprised to see both had texted him.

Unlocking his phone, he started with Ichisake's text. It was a series of three messages, two of them were sent a little before they got started working. The last one was sent nearly an hour ago.

Squinting, he tried reading each one. Although the words were blurry, he was able to make out enough to know what was being sent to him.

_> Heya! Sorry for earlier, I thought about wat u said and ur right. I no ur with her right now, plz don't tell her I was talking about her behind her back! Pretty plz?_

_> Anyways, I'll see you after the event_

Arthur smiled. At least he was able to make a friend see the error of his ways.

Scrolling down, his smile faded as he read the last text.

_> Hey. I got hurt during the event. I don't wanna get into it, but they had to send me home so I wont be there wen ur dun. Just eat some soup for me plz? Okee bye!_

Arthur didn't reply. He just reread the text over and over before a question finally formed in his mind. " _How the hell did you get hurt?_ " He asked himself. He had wanted to ask Ichisake himself, but suddenly he noticed someone approaching. He glanced upwards, only to meet the blurry image of Makoto standing over him.

"So." She said, looking around. "Where are the others?" She asked. She was holding four bowls of soup in her arms, and it looked like she was struggling enough as it were.

Arthur pocketed his phone, standing up to help her. "They left as soon as you were out of sight." He informed her, setting the extra bowls aside next to his chair. Upon hearing this, she shook her head as if disappointed.

"Thanks." She said, referring to Arthur helping with the soup. "I guess it'll just be us, then." Makoto remarked, looking around as if trying to spot the other students. When she failed to do so, she looked back at Arthur. "I'm rather hungry, you want to divide the extra bowls?" She asked.

Arthur shrugged. "I suppose there's no harm in it… Sure?" Looking down in his bowl, he noticed that the soup looked rather appetizing as far as school foods go. Of course, that wasn't saying much since he was still used to the food Americans got in their schools back in the home country. In Japan, school lunches looked like the kind of food you'd get at a restaurant. The young American smiled, stepping back and kneeling on the little landing the two found themselves on.

"What're you doing? There's a chair right there…" Makoto pointed out, surprised to see Arthur ignoring the very thing he was sitting on prior to her arrival. Arthur looked up at her, spoon in hand.

"Nah, go ahead. Sit down, Niijima-san." He dismissed her concerns, to which she replied with a subtle " _Oh…_ ".

"Alright then. Thank you." She thanked him, taking the seat he offered with slight hesitation. She wanted to ask him if he was sure, but when she looked over at him, she saw that he was already pulling out his phone. "You did a good job today, Williams-kun." She said, catching his attention.

"Huh..?" He grunted, looking up from his phone. He had barely managed past the lockscreen. "Oh, uh, thanks Niijima-san." He said, setting his phone down next to his soup.

"It also seems Wakaizumi-chan had a quick " _change of heart_ " around you, didn't she?" Makoto noted, taking a sip of her soup before continuing with "At first she seemed frightened of you, then she spoke in your stead after you lost your glasses. I don't think I've ever seen someone change their opinion on another person with such swiftness."

Arthur listened, but didn't say anything. At least not at first. Makoto sipped more at her soup, watching Arthur out of the corner of her eye. She was curious about his silence, but opted to not push the matter.

The ball was in his court, now.

"Uh-huh…" Arthur grunted, setting his soup down and glancing up at her. "Change of heart?" Arthur asked, mimicking her use of the term. He tried mulling over the fact she used that in particular, but couldn't really find a reason why. "Why did you use that term, of all things?" He asked, confused.

"No reason in particular." Makoto admitted, matter-of-factly. "It's just… I've been hearing of these incidents. Incidents where people have sudden changes in their attitude, their actions, and even their personality. A " _change of heart_ ". Kamoshida had one, and this master artist Madarame has been threatened with one. What happened with Wakaizumi-chan seemed similar is all." She said, not taking her eyes off of Arthur. She paused, taking a sip of her soup. She gave a satisfied sigh when her spoon left her lips. "You wouldn't happen to know anything about these sudden " _changes of heart_ ", would you Williams-kun?" She asked, determination showing off in the subtle glare she was giving Arthur.

Arthur shook his head. "Not really. I know as much as the internet allows me to know. I'll remind you I arrived a little after that whole Kamoshida business."

Makoto nodded, as if she had forgotten that much. "Of course, of course." She said, shifting her eyes to her soup. She took another sip, as did Arthur. "Pardon my asking. It was just a personal interest of mine. I am intrigued, though, to hear your opinion on the subject if you'll so indulge me."

Arthur didn't say anything at first, he instead lifted the bowl up and took a hearty swig of his soup. Catching both a strip of pork and some small floating seasonings in his mouth. Makoto observed, shocked that he was putting it away so quickly. "You haven't eaten today, have you?" She deduced quickly.

An accomplished sigh left his lips as he sat the near empty bowl down. "No I have not, Niijima-san." He answered her, reaching for one of the extra bowls sitting idly by Makoto's feet. A hungry grin accompanying him. "And why do you care about my opinion? What does it matter to you, if you don't mind me asking?"

Makoto hesitated a moment, looking at Arthur with an incredulous look on her face. Arthur noticed, but chose not to say anything.

Makoto didn't say much. Instead, opting to keep Arthur in the dark as much as possible with her intentions. "Again this is purely my own personal interest. You don't have to answer if you don't feel the need to." She told him, watching as he quickly downed the next bowl of soup. She opened her mouth in sheer shock, watching as he barely missed a drop from the bowl. "What the…?"

There weren't even any remnants on his face. He was as clean as his bowl.

She quickly coughed into her fist, shaking off the surprise that was entangling her gaze. "So. I assume you don't wish to answer?"

"I already told you, I don't know much." He reiterated with a slight frown. "With that in mind, I can't possibly have a proper opinion on it." He added, gaining a slight nod of understanding from Makoto. She sipped at her soup, listening as Arthur continued. "Regrettable as that is. I would love to learn more about such an occult topic. It's very… interesting?" He said, as if questioning his own reasons for wanting to learn more about it.

Truthfully, that wasn't the only reason he wanted to learn. Something inside him distantly beckoned him to look for more information. A queer feeling that he tried brushing off. A feeling that tugged at the edges of his mind, and to an extent was taxing on the young man. But he didn't let it show.

" _Seek out these Phantom Thieves…._ "

The words echoed inside his head, and for a moment he almost didn't hear Makoto herself.

"I see…" Makoto stated, as if she had not anticipated that response. Arthur watched as she looked away a moment, as if thinking of her next move. For a moment they sat in silence, and this reticence coupled with her sudden lapse in attention told Arthur a revelation that took him off guard quite quickly.

All these questions about such an occult topic, the obvious reactions she was offering when he answered in a way she seemed to not have been anticipating, and the determination that glowed like candles in her eyes whenever she awaited an answer.

This wasn't normal common curiosity, nor did it feel like a normal conversation any normal person would be having.

She was interrogating him.

Or trying to, at the very least.

" _Not very subtle…_ " He thought, setting his second bowl aside and crossing his arms.

"Allow me to pose another question, then…" She suddenly asked, turning her attention back on him. Arthur nodded, deciding to play along until she showed her full hand. "There are all these rumors going around the school. Stuff like you're crazy, and unstable, and dangerous…"

"Right, right, right…" Arthur confirmed, trying to hurry her along to her question. She stopped and blinked, getting the not-so-subtle hint.

"Oh… Well, OK then." She said. "They don't seem true. Indeed, you seem very collected and friendly… But what I don't get is that you choose to hang around such an infamous student…"

"Huh? Ichisake?" Arthur asked, bending his brows at the thought. "No, no, no. Ichisake? Infamous? Right, and I'm Amakusa Shirō reincarnated. He couldn't hurt a kitten, Niijima-san. Even if he tried!"

Makoto blunk, surprised that he brought up something from class the other day. "Odd that you'd reference something so obscure, but OK…" She murmured under her breath. Arthur chuckled at this. "But that's not who I'm referring to."

"Oh? And who are you referring to?" Arthur replied, cocking his head as he tried to hide the annoyance he was feeling towards this interrogation. He didn't appreciate that the only reason she was sitting with him was the answers she was dead set on receiving. But at the same time his curiosity peaked and he allowed it to continue.

Makoto didn't realize the game wasn't hers anymore. In fact, it never was. Arthur could end it at his will at any moment, and that knowledge alone gave Arthur the confidence he needed to keep up his oblivious charade.

People never realized Arthur was smarter than he looked.

"I'm referring…" Makoto started, pausing to take another sip of her steadily cooling soup. "...to Amamiya-kun."

Arthur blinked. "You mean Ren?" He asked after a moment of silent thought, trying to think back to anyone he knew named " _Amamiya_ ".

Makoto smiled, looking Arthur right in the eye as she spoke. "Ah, so you're on a first name basis with him…" She noted aloud, causing Arthur to give off a devilish smirk.

"I barely know him. I only know that he had rumors circulating around him when he got to Shujin but that's to the extent of my knowledge…" Arthur uncrossed his arms, telling her not only what she didn't want to hear, but also the direct truth.

"Hmph." Makoto huffed, setting her bowl next to her feet as she posed another question. "What's your relationship with him?" She asked.

"You're dead set on this interrogation, aren't you Niijima-san?" He suddenly asked, deciding to end the little game she was trying to play. "No disrespect intended, but I don't talk about my friends behind their backs. Even friends I know less of than others." He told her as he stood up, stretching his arms and back out. She didn't say a word as he moved, but her eyes widened when she realized she got caught. "I don't get what your beef is with Ren, but find someone else to talk smack about him. I'm not your guy, ma'am." He further explained, adding a small smile to his words.

She didn't reply. She just exchanged a stare with him. All the while Arthur offered a kind smile. "Thank you for the soup, Niijima-san." He bowed, surprising her with his politeness. "Have a safe trip home." He added as he turned away from her.

Without a word being uttered by either party, he started walking away. All the while she watched, cursing herself for letting him figure her out and then get away without even providing a smidgeon of what she was looking for.

Arthur, meanwhile, was smiling even though he knew he wouldn't hear the end of this. But in the same vein he didn't care. He took pride in his loyalty to anyone willing to call themselves his friend. He wasn't gonna start betraying that loyalty now to anyone, not even a pretty face. He never tattled on his law-breaking friends back in America, and he certainly won't betray the little he knows about Ren.

Especially not when him and Ren are victims of the same unfair social normality.

If anything, Arthur has more in common with Ren than he does with Ichisake.

He turned his head slightly, as if gazing around. In reality, he was trying to spot Makoto's reaction to what just went down. The more distance he put between him and Makoto, the clearer her features became; a result of his farsightedness. She looked absolutely defeated, and was even slumping her shoulders. Definitely lost in her defeat.

She tried to play a mind game with him, and failed miserably.

Confident and proud, he turned behind a tree, vanishing from her view.

" _Maybe I should let Ren know she's snooping on him…_ " Arthur thought as he leaned up against it, concerned as to the reason she was interrogating him. He pulled his phone into view, but stopped at the lock screen when he realized he didn't have Ren's phone number. " _Damn… Guess it'll have to wait until tomorrow…_ "

Still proud of what he did, he then turned his attention on the notification he didn't get to check earlier. The text from Himura.

" _Wonder what Himura wanted…_ "

Pulling up the somewhat lengthy text, it read:

_> Arthur, someone's gonna stop by the apartment tonight. I'm not gonna be home. Turn him away. Don't say much to him unless it's a goodbye. Don't invite him in. Don't offer him anything. Turn. Him. Away. If he tries to force himself inside, call the police and get out of the building anyway you can. I'll be home around midnight, don't stay up too late kid._

* * *

The walk from the park held nothing significant for Arthur. The only thing that the silent walk left him with was the thoughts and ideas he procured from the encounter with Makoto. At first he was pretty proud that he was able to understand and take control of the interrogation without her even knowing she lost her grip.

He was also proud to know that he had stood up for someone who he knew had done no wrong. Ren didn't seem the type to actively disobey society and its rules.

Arthur's been around plenty of ne'er-do-wells to understand how they operate both mentally and physically. Ren didn't exhibit any of the warning signs when they had spoken.

In fact, Ren even seemed very well read and thoughtful. Arthur felt he had met his intellectual equal, much to his relief.

So what did Makoto want with him?

That was the question of the day ringing around in Arthur's mind.

Furthermore, why did she think Arthur would have the answers she sought?

Arthur knew little of anyone really, even Ichisake was quiet about himself. He was only ever interested in hearing about Arthur, even when Arthur would try to probe the former for his personal life. The most he ever got out of him is that his parents are police officers and one was a former soldier for the Japanese military and that they're almost never home.

That was to the extent of Arthur's knowledge.

As Arthur thought more on the weird situation, he remembered - albeit faintly - witnessing the young woman stalking Ren and some blond-haired boy at both Shibuya Station Square and Central Street the week before last, around the time he was getting acquainted with Shibuya.

He had brushed the behavior off as either coincidence or just people being odd. It was none of his business at the time, but now it was too suspect to ignore.

"What does she want with Ren…?" Arthur questioned himself. But no matter how hard he thought on it, no matter how many times he asked himself, and no matter how deep he analyzed it, he could not produce an answer. From there, he decided to let his mind wander when he realized he wasn't going to find the answer at any point soon.

He was so deep in thought he didn't hear the feminine voice calling his name.

He walked on, passing various kinds of people. Cops, students leaving the park, businessmen, men in tracksuits, and even construction workers on break. He paid no one any mind, and they in turn ignored him. Lost in his thoughts, he was essentially on autopilot.

Topics flew around in his mind, from thoughts of Ichisake somehow hurting himself at the park to the predicament Himura had found himself in to warrant warning Arthur via text.

He stopped at a crosswalk, waiting for the light to turn green so he and a few others could cross.

Someone was calling his name out, jogging to catch up with him and causing a few heads to turn at the sudden callouts.

But Arthur ignored them further, not out of spite, but out of his concentration.

" _What did Himura do…?"_ He next asked himself, confused as to who Himura potentially angered. Himura was a nice guy, and as far as he remembers of Himura he never intentionally made someone angry. Angry enough to come to his place of residence and do something that might warrant having the cops called. " _This day just keeps getting more and more interesting…"_

Someone grabbed his shoulder, startling him something fierce. His thoughts quickly evaporated as he was jump-started back into reality, and he flinched in place, turning around to see who it was that had grabbed him.

At first he didn't recognize the girl, she seemed surprised with the speed he had spun around with, and even the nearby streetwalkers had stopped to see what the ruckus was about. It was hard to distinguish the person before him without his glasses, as she remained blurred and incomprehensible with how swift he turned on her. When his eyes adjusted, the first thing he noticed was the blond hair the young woman was sporting, bushy and tied into pigtails. The second thing he noticed was her cool blue eyes.

She at first looked startled, but then her lips curved into an amused smile. She started giggling, all while Arthur remained dazed and confused.

The blurred lines remained, but he was able to make out who it was after a few moments of baking in his dazed state.

It was Ann. Ann Takamaki.

"Takamaki-san…?" Arthur asked, blinking as he tried to make out more of her figure. He was confident she was who he thought she was, but he wanted to be sure.

"Williams-senpai… Oops! I mean, Williams-san.. Sorry, I forgot you don't like that word, heheh." She chuckled stepping forward towards him. "Sorry for startling you, I was calling out your name but you weren't responding. Were you ignoring me or something?" She asked, raising a cocky brow.

Smiling, Arthur replied "No, I wasn't ignoring you Takamaki-san. I was just… lost in thought is all." He admitted, placing his hands in the small pockets of his sweatpants. "A lot happened today. Just trying to comprehend it all."

"Ah, I see." She said, glancing around as she began to notice the interest everyone was having in the duo. When it became obvious nothing interesting was gonna happen, many people turned their attention off of them as they returned to their individual businesses. When she was satisfied everyone was ignoring them, she glanced back at Arthur. She squinted, noticing something was off with him. "Hey… Why aren't you wearing your glasses?" She asked, realizing his glasses were gone.

"Oh!" He started, unsure of how to answer the question without seeming like a fool. Rubbing the back of his head, he realized the light was green. They could cross the street without worry. "We… should get going. Before the light goes red."

Ann nodded, following him as he moved to cross the street. But she didn't drop the subject. "You didn't answer my questionnnnn…" She singsongedly reminded him, to which Arthur shook his head.

"Someone's chipper." Arthur noted, looking over his shoulder.

"It's what happens when you have a great day." She replied, giving off a genuine smile to accompany her words. Arthur nodded, turning his gaze forwards.

"Uh-huh.." Arthur grunted. "Well, if you must know what happened... I…." He slowly said, unsure of how to proceed. Unbeknownst to Ann, a royal blush was working its way onto Arthur's cheeks. He didn't really have an excuse ready for what happened to his spectacles, and couldn't quickly come up with one on the spot either. "Er...a turtle…. Well, he kinda….stole them?" Arthur rubbed the back of his skull, unsure himself of what actually even occurred. The whole incident was weird.

Ann didn't say anything for a moment, instead opting to just stare Arthur in the back of the head. At first she wasn't sure what to do or say to that. She wasn't actually anticipating such a response, and an honest one at that. "W-wait, what? Really?" She stammered, unsure if she had heard him correctly. "A turtle stole them from you?"

Arthur slowed his walk down so she could keep pace, shaking his head as if he almost didn't believe it himself. "Y-y-yeah…" He stammered.

Catching up with him, she began to giggle into her hand at the very thought of a turtle stealing his glasses. She thought up of many different ways the little creature could've gotten them. From climbing up his body and snatching them to somehow jumping off the ground floor and taking them before disappearing into the water.

The ideas she came up with were outlandish, but Arthur didn't tell her how. He didn't want to, either. It was embarrassing.

She flashed him a hopeful smile, still giggling. "I guess he needed them more." She said. Arthur flinched upon hearing those words, stopping in his tracks and looking dead at her. She stopped and turned to face him, concerned with the sudden look she was getting.

"That's exactly what one of my group members said." Arthur noted, causing Ann to smile once more.

Arthur, shaking his head at the occurrence, stopped as he realized where he was. Blurry as the street signs were, he could back away and see them clearly from the distance. Ann watched, her curiosity peaked at what he was doing.

" _Kichijōji Station...this way…_ " He read, looking in the direction the sign was pointing. Ann suddenly spoke up.

"So, what's your plan now that the cleanup is over?" She asked, catching Arthur's attention. He glanced over at her, surprised she even asked.

"No plans, really." He said, waving a hand in front of his face to give her a hint of his condition. "Can't really do much if I can't see…" He pouted. Glasses were expensive back in the home country. Good pairs could cost up to the triple digits. He wasn't sure how much they would cost here, and he certainly wasn't looking forward to finding out.

Not that he had the money to spend on glasses anyways, with the eight hundred yen he has left of his initial allowance.

"Oh, I suppose that is a fair point." She said, looking down as if she didn't anticipate that answer.

"You're a mess of red and blonde right now, Takamaki-san." Arthur admitted, stepping past her. "Anyways, it was good seeing you. I'm gonna head home, I guess…" He added, turning away from her to continue on his way. But she stopped him rather quickly.

"I don't ever see you out at the mall _OR_ Central Street. Why's that?" She suddenly asked, speaking in fluent English. Arthur froze, slowly turning to look at her as if he were caught off guard. "What?" She noted his stare with a cocky smile.

"You... speak English?" He asked in perfect English, turning to face her fully. She nodded, giving off a loud " _Mmmhmm!_ ". "I… wouldn't have guessed. What a surprise."

"You still haven't answered my question!" She singed, swinging her arms by her sides as if she was a little girl. But Arthur wasn't as amused. He was more curious than anything.

"Er… Well, I really…" He started, unsure of why she was asking. "...I…never have a reason to go, really. I guess I still need to find a bag, though…" He idly mentioned, causing the young woman to smirk.

"Well, I don't have anywhere I have to be, and I _happen_ to have a coupon for two free crêpes down at Central Street. I couldn't find any of my friends either, so…. Wanna come with?" She asked, leaning to her side with a huge, friendly grin stretching her cheeks.

"Why the invitation?" Arthur asked, unsure of Ann's intentions. He didn't want to be paranoid, but she really hasn't had much to do with him in the time she's known him. Such a sudden invitation seemed off.

"Oh, I figured you might need some fun in your day." She said, matter-of-factly. "I saw you were paired with the student council president, Niijima. Plus two others who seemed to be afraid of you. I can only imagine how dreadful the day was for you… Oh, and plus a turtle apparently stole your glasses." She added with a little lighthearted giggle at the end. Arthur couldn't help but look away, embarrassed that that even happened to him.

But he slowly nodded, coming to a quick understanding of her reasonings. They even seemed to make sense to him. At least, the reasons did. But what didn't make sense to him was why she wanted to go with him. Why not her friends? Or why not use the coupon another day? Why did she have to use it today with him? These were the kinds of questions going around in his mind. He couldn't help himself but voice them, either. To which Ann replied earnestly with a fad of innocence in her young voice.

"Wellllll, the coupon expires today and most of my friends were busy hanging out with their own groups or, well, people I don't know, so…. I saw you and thought " _Hey, he might want to come eat some sweets with me!_ " so here I am." She flashed him such a wide toothy smile that Arthur couldn't help but smile back. "You up for it?"

As she stood there, swaying her arms by her sides, Arthur sat in thought. Wondering why he, of all people, was getting such strong attention from people. First Ichisake, then Ren invited him out, then his classmate and student council president tried interrogating him, and now an acquaintance named Ann was inviting him out for sweets. He barely left his apartment building and kept to himself at school where possible. Why were people so interested in at least talking with him when he himself knows he ain't anything special. Just another cog in the wheel of the daily grind; the average norm?

That's how it was back in the home country. You kept yourself to yourself, and to the people you already knew. Trying to enter a social circle you either had no business in or knew nobody in was social suicide.

But even with his apprehension, he absentmindedly nodded an answer to her. Pretty much accepting her invitation. He didn't know why he did it, but somewhere he supposed he felt as if getting out would be more a token favor to himself than anything. Not to mention the idea of making another friend sounded like a good idea, especially on paper.

And if she spoke English? All the better.

Having his answer, she stepped past him and beckoned him to follow before they missed their train.

He stood still a moment, wondering deep down why he accepted the offer.

" _I don't necessarily get it, but… I suppose what's the harm…?_ "

* * *

The two got along really well.

Ann was very vocal and outspoken with Arthur, who in turn kept silent and otherwise listened when she spoke. Mainly everything out of her mouth was about how great this crêpe shop was and how she was looking forward to it all day during the event. Arthur couldn't deny anymore that, at this point, a crêpe sounded good. Especially one with chocolate and candies in it.

At one point he pitched the idea to Ann, and she surprised him with the fact they do indeed carry those. And those happen to be one of her favorites.

He smiled, and she in turn flashed him one of her own.

When she stopped fangirling over the crêpe shop and explaining all the different sweets they offered, they had already arrived at Shibuya. Arthur, paying dutiful attention as he had little choice in the matter, followed her as she almost jogged out of the train. She seemed super excited to be going to the shop, and it seemed almost out of character for her to be acting like this, but at the same time he realized he barely knew her. If this was her attitude with people she considered close friends, then Arthur was surprised she was this way with people she barely knew.

He tried to ask her why she was so excited to go to a place she's been to before, but she either didn't hear him or she brushed him off. But to her credit, even though she was speed walking ahead of him, she would occasionally look back at him to make sure he was still following. When he caught up, she would continue on. Rinse and repeat.

Arthur remained uneasy about the whole situation, but that mostly due in part to how things worked back in the home country. Here, most people seem friendly. Chipper. Flamboyant sometimes.

Ann definitely had, when unmasking herself from the norm, all three of those characteristics.

She also kinda seemed like an airhead with this behavior, but Arthur kept that thought to himself.

At some point, she led him straight to the shop. She even waited for him to catch up before asking him what he wanted instead of just getting something she thought he'd like.

He wasn't really sure, but remembered earlier what he desired and reminded her. It didn't take her long to order and receive the sweet treats, to which Arthur was amazed at how fast this shop worked.

Ann was even right about the coupon, as when she handed it to them, they accepted it readily and took no other form of payment for the two crêpes she ordered.

When Arthur looked around, he then realized how out of place Ann and himself were. Ann didn't seem to notice this, as she was too engrossed in seeing Arthur's reaction to the chocolate candy crêpe he practically ordered, but they were the only two Shujin students on Central Street. Arthur knew this because they were the only ones wearing their uniform sweatsuits.

"Should we not go find a place to sit down?" Arthur asked, a bit embarrassed to be seen in such bright red.

Ann was less embarrassed though. She acted as if she wasn't wearing such situational clothing. Coupled with a large innocent smile, she condemned him. "We aren't sitting down until I see you take a bite of that crêpe. I need to know if I made the right decision getting you that."

"I… had you order it… I'm sure I'll like it…" He murmured, still unsure of why he even went with her in the first place. He didn't know her. But, taking a slow bite of the snack he held in his hands, he immediately banished the notion of uneasiness with thoughts of how wonderful the crêpe was.

There was a sudden rush of flavor, a sudden chocolatey- almost fudgelike - taste flooding his taste buds. Sweet crunchy candies washed around inside his mouth as he chewed, crunching into little tiny bits as they collided with his teeth. His eyes widened, and his lips curled inwards as he looked between the crêpe and Ann, who sat there expectantly.

"W-wow…" Arthur said, mouthful of chocolate and candy. "Wh-what tha-"

Ann giggled, holding hers close to her chest. "Mmmhm, I knew you'd like it."

Arthur swallowed what was in his mouth, completely in awe. "You talked about these so much on the way here it was honestly getting exhausting, but to think they were actually, as you described, so tasty… Damn…" He smiled, pleased with his choice.

"Told ya! Told ya how many times but you kept doubting me?" She asked, putting a hand to her hip as she laughed. Arthur couldn't help but keep his smile up as he knew she was right. She told him a lot, perhaps too many times, about how he would like it. She even had told him that everyone she knows liked the place, she had no reason to suspect Arthur wouldn't either.

"Yeah, yeah…" Arthur dimmed his glee down, shaking his head at Ann's ribbing. "We should really find a place to sit down now. We're in everyone's way." Arthur told her, gesturing to the fact many people are actively avoiding them and the fact they were standing in the dead center of Central Street. Ann looked around, a sudden embarrassment visible on her face.

"Yeah, fair point…" She conceded, looking around for a bench to sit down at.

It didn't take them long to find one, even with the bustling traffic of Central Street. A couple of people looked at them funny, but Ann didn't pay them any mind. Arthur was a bit different though, as he felt nothing but embarrassment every single time he realized someone was looking at him.

It didn't help any that Ann was fawning over her crêpe. She was acting like a little girl, not an adult.

Although they weren't adults yet, Arthur was already acting leagues ahead of his age. He sometimes forgot that many people his age didn't do the same.

For a while they just sat there, enjoying their crêpes in silence. Ann would occasionally look over at Arthur, surprised at his reticence. She figured he'd be more talkative, especially after his day. But it seemed he was content to be quiet. Ann didn't want to complain, she did invite him after all. He was her guest, not the other way around.

But as they ate their snacks, Arthur couldn't keep a question out of his mind. Ann was acting especially cheerful today, while the stark few conversations he's had with her had been serious and even she seemed to be a serious person. Today she had shown very different colors, and Arthur couldn't tell if this was her norm, or if she was just hiding behind a mask.

But what he also couldn't get out of his head is the reasoning for her inviting him out. She hasn't done this before and didn't seem keen on pursuing a friendship with him. It seemed before that she was perfectly fine with managing an acquaintance with him and no more. So why all the sudden did she invite him, a guy she barely knew, out for a light snack?

Arthur huffed, catching Ann's attention. She glanced over at him, expecting him to say something. When he didn't, she cocked her head and squinted at him before shrugging and taking another bite out of her crêpe.

"Why did you invite me out, Takamaki-san?" Arthur suddenly asked in his mother tongue, catching the young woman off guard with both the question and language. "We barely know each other. Where I come from, we don't do that in circumstances where we barely know each other. It's considered weird and sometimes even downright creepy."

Ann, recovering from the jolt of the question, turned to look at him. A quarter of her crêpe remained in hand. She'd been jealously eating it until now. "Well that sounds like a horrible social situation honestly, Williams-san." She said, taking another bite of her crêpe. Arthur nodded, agreeing with her. But that didn't answer his question. "I suppose it is like that in the U.S. though…"

"It's just weird to me. I don't normally get invited to places by people I barely know. To have it happen here, three times in a row… I'm just confused. What about me do people like? All those damn rumors… People don't know what's true or not anymore." Arthur shook his head, lamenting the reputation he's acquired around the school. "I know you've said you don't believe in them, but why would you invite me out? It's only gonna hurt you as… as it has with a good friend of mine." He asked, suddenly feeling a pang of guilt that he dragged innocent Ichisake down into the cesspit of rumors Arthur's mired in.

Ann shook her head at the idea of rumors, scoffing under her breath at the fact people will willingly hurt others by spreading them regardless of whether or not they are true.

"Miyara-senpai is strong enough to stay your friend, even though it hurts him in the long run. Keep him close, Williams-kun." Ann quietly said, looking down at her snack with sullen eyes. She turned slightly, facing him with the corner of her eye. "As for why I invited you out… Well…" She said, crossing her ankles and she spoke. It didn't seem to Arthur like she was searching for a reason to give, but instead trying to think on how to word it.

That alone told Arthur that there was indeed a reason for this sudden burst of friendliness. It wasn't just random.

"Well... " She said, uncertain of how to proceed. "You know Ren, don't you?" She asked, catching him off guard with the name.

"Uh, yes. We met just the other day and actually hung out… What, you know him?" He asked, surprised she brought the name up. It was Ann's turn to give a nod of her head, to which Arthur just grunted a " _Huh…"_

"Yes, I do actually…" She verbally confirmed, lowering her hands as she spoke. "He's actually a good friend of mine. One of my best friends, really…. I know it's gonna sound weird but hear me out: We actually talked about you yesterday, he brought the topic up and things kinda went from there. Told me everything y'all talked about and how much you guys had in common. It really surprised me."

"Uh-huh…." Arthur simply said, not liking the idea of people talking behind his back. Ann's eyes opened wide at his tone and she looked at him, shaking her head to try and dispel any thoughts he was having.

"We weren't gossiping or anything! We were just talking is all! I promise." She said aloud, attempting to stifle any negative thoughts or feelings Arthur may have been having. He sat there, looking dead at her for a moment before accepting her answer with a shrug.

"People talk all the time, why should I really care honestly?" He murmured, accepting that it likely happens with others as well.

"Right…" Ann started up again, trying to ignore the cause of that comment. "Well. He said you had talked to him about the rumors surrounding both him and yourself. I'm sure you've guessed by now but that friend engrossed in rumors I told you about is Ren."

"Yeah. Doesn't take a mathematician to guess that much." Arthur confirmed, although in reality he didn't really realize that until Ann had said something.

" _Small world…"_ Arthur thought.

"Yeah well, when we talked about what you both had discussed… Well, I came to a realization that we may be more similar than I first thought as well…" Ann told him, her voice sounding both quiet yet hopeful. As if she was hoping Arthur would agree with her, but Arthur didn't really see it.

"How so?" Arthur asked, not following what she was saying. Ann looked up at him, surprised he had to ask. She was wondering how he didn't know, considering the fact Arthur had heard all about the Kamoshida incident.

"You… you're telling me you don't know?" She asked, confused as to how Arthur didn't know. When Arthur nodded, she sighed. Not in defeat, but in what sounded like annoyance.

Annoyance that she had to revisit those days.

"Williams… I was also the center of rumors and gossip. For a while actually. Before Ren came along." She admitted. Arthur opened his eyes, surprised to hear that someone so sweet and innocent-looking was the victim of such nasty business. "It was all because of Kamoshida… People said I was….sleeping with him… My looks didn't do me any favors, either. They called me all sorts of things. A cheap American was one of the popular things people used…" She said slowly and quietly, almost to a murmur. She made sure Arthur could hear her though, and Arthur was dumbstruck with this information.

"Takamaki-san… You can stop." Arthur said, realizing how deep this was digging. He knew he didn't have any reason to know all of this, and he also knew that she was hurting herself. "There's no reason for you to bring up old history, especially with me. I barely even know you…"

"But that's just it, Williams-kun. Ren was labeled a criminal, I was labeled a whore, and you're labeled insane. All three of us have that in common. That we were unfairly labeled." She said, suddenly smiling beneath her gaze. Arthur was surprised at how swift that mood turned. It was as if she wasn't actually sad anymore. "But I'm over everything that happened with Kamoshida. Make no mistake, Williams."

"Oh." Arthur said, lowering what little of a crêpe he had to his lap. He didn't understand it all, but he let her continue. This conversation was very intriguing.

"Besides, you and I have a lot more than rumors in common too." She said, raising her head brilliantly. "You're American, I'm a quarter American. We easily don't fit in around here because of that. You speak English, I speak English. We can easily communicate above everyone's heads and make jokes only you and I would understand." She added, a wry smirk on her face. Arthur couldn't help but snicker at that idea.

"Yeah, that does sound like a pretty funny thought." Arthur admitted. "But everything you just said… Why tell me? Like I said, you barely know me." He pointed out, still unsure of Ann's openness about her problems.

"I can't really say…" Ann told him, leaning forward in her seat as she gazed to the ground. "It was the same thing with Ren. When we first actually talked with one another I was the same way with him. The only difference right now is that, well, he sought me out. You didn't seek me, I sought you. I guess that's also a pretty big difference." She added, not sure what to make of her sudden openness with Arthur. But Arthur accepted that as his answer. As vague as it was, it gave him a good idea of why she was acting the way she was.

"So you're saying you're taking Ren's example to heart... Based on what you just told me, he knew you were in trouble and he talked you through it. You see me going through the same nonsense the two of you went through, and so you're trying to comfort me now…" Arthur deduced, putting a hand on his chin as he assessed her actions. "You're using your own pain to relate to mine."

"Yeah, that!" She said, her voice getting spunky and bright. It was so odd to see her voice go from low to high in such an instant, but Arthur chuckled. He's seen her act so girly today it didn't really surprise him anymore. "So tell me, because I'm really curious - and it's only fair since I just told you about my situation - but what's the cause for these rumors? Have you really seen a therapist back in America for… well… You know?" She asked, genuinely curious about Arthur's situation.

Arthur looked at her, lowering his hand as he sat in silence. He just shook his head at the question and took a small bite out of his crêpe, signalling to Ann that he was uninterested in pursuing this topic.

"Oh, sorry… I am overstepping my bounds now?" She asked, lowering her tone in response to his reticence. Swallowing the chocolatey bite he took, Arthur nodded and let a small dominant smile grow on his chocolate covered lips.

"I only air my problems to those qualified to deal with them. The world is much simpler that way, Takamaki-san." He informed her, not taking his eyes off of the sweet snack in his hands.

"Please. Call me Ann." She flashed him a friendly smile. "And that's fair. I just figured it might help both you and I if you said something. But I won't pressure you."

Arthur turned to look at her, surprised she was comfortable letting him use her first name. "Ah, then you may call me Arthur, Ann."

She smiled and snagged a bite out of her crêpe.

Grinning, Arthur wiped the chocolate off his mouth with a napkin the store had provided to the both of them. While he wasn't exactly comfortable with the way the conversation had started, or what it contained, he was satisfied with the idea that he had made a friend out of her. Not to mention she wasn't going to press him for information when he wasn't willing to give any.

That's something he could appreciate greatly, as it showed she knew boundaries.

Friends who knew where their boundaries lie were good friends indeed.

The silence between them didn't last for very long, as Ann quickly changed the subject to something that Arthur could easily get behind.

"Well, friendo!" She said, trying to act cool with their new friendship. "Why don't we steer away from these sad topics and just take some time to get to know each other better? You start! I'm terrible at these things…" She smiled brightly, sitting back on her part of the bench.

Arthur, raising the crêpe to his lips, looked at her dead silent for a moment as he processed what she said. He stopped, lowering the snack again as he bashfully looked around. He was unsure of how to proceed, himself.

"Alright then, Ann… Uh…." Arthur slowly started thinking up a question he could ask her to kick off their new friendship. "What…. What do you like to do for fun?"

* * *

The day passed really quickly from there. The two talked for a while, even after they had finished their snacks. From topics ranging from their interests to even their own aspirations. Something Arthur, admittedly, couldn't actually talk about with a sense of clarity for he didn't have any aspirations. At least not yet, anyways.

Ann learned a few things from him. She had learned that Arthur was once a member of his school's fencing team, that he loved cooking but hasn't had a chance to try anything Japanese since his arrival, and a few other interesting tidbits that she would never have figured out without him telling her. Such as his incredible interest in Japanese history and his adept fluency and comprehension in kanji as well as other Japanese writing symbols.

And Arthur, likewise, learned from her own mouth that she liked to act as a model for a hobby and was apparently in competition with someone in her field who, as she put it, absolutely hates her. Yet Ann seemed to think different about her as she called her strong and beautiful all in the same sentence. An oxymoron to Arthur. But Ann didn't care that it seemed weird. She even seemed proud to not hold an animosity towards her competitor.

Arthur had to admire that. It's hard not to hate someone who hates you.

Especially when she works to hurt you, as Ann described she had.

Before they realized it, it was sunset. The two had whiled away their afternoon snacking and talking, and Arthur honestly enjoyed every last second of it. It felt nice talking with someone who didn't fawn over every aspect of America. She didn't seem to be able to keep up with him intellectually. But she seemed to have a good head on her shoulders, and in the end that's all that mattered.

Throughout it all, though. Arthur couldn't help but feel like someone was watching him. That, coupled with the time of day, gave Arthur cause to end the little sojourn. Ann had agreed with the idea of going home. As they disposed of their trash and said their goodbyes, Ann turned to look at him with an invitation on her mind.

"If you ever want to hang out, you know where to find me." She told him, flashy him her ever famous good-natured smile.

Arthur returned her smile, telling her to get home safe and that he'll see her at school tomorrow.

They parted ways at Station Square. From there, the walk home was brisk and uneventful.

Although Arthur wasn't looking forward to another night of sleep.

Lately he's been staying up late, from eight to nine, from nine to eleven. Just trying to avoid the nightmares he's been having. The dreams that followed him from America.

Not even a change in his normal affected the dreams and nightmares, and while it isn't giving him insomnia, it is concerning Arthur a great deal. He even asked Himura yesterday when he got home if he had any medicine that would knock him out and keep him out. Himura replied with a solid no, and asked if he was having trouble sleeping.

Arthur didn't give him the truth, as he didn't want to worry Himura with the details. Instead, he told him simply that it was a question for Himura's sake, as he had been coming home late and sometimes would stay up until three in the morning.

Himura didn't argue, but maintained that he didn't have any such medicine.

The nightmares were something Arthur feared everyday, and while he's only had a few that he seems to remember, he knew that the ones he remembered are the worst ones by far.

"Maybe I should go find a doctor…. Or another therapist… Or both…" Arthur told himself, avoiding the awkward glance of a police officer nearby who had heard him.

When Arthur returned to the apartment complex, he shook the thought off and told himself, with a hopeful inward glance, that maybe tonight would be different. That tonight should be different, since he had a good day and kept his karma positive.

" _That's how it works, right?_ " Arthur thought, ascending the stairs to his floor. Step after step was filled with reassurance, and quickly he came to forget his grievance. He replaced it with complacency.

Coming to his floor, he was surprised to see only one other person on it. At this time of the day, it's usual that some of the neighbors begin heading out to their night jobs. A few of the people on this floor had such jobs, but Arthur quickly assumed that he had simply arrived long after they had left.

Only one other person was on the floor. A man who seemed to not notice Arthur. He was just sitting there, opposite the door to Himura's apartment. He looked to be smoking a cigarette while playing on a phone, smoke billowed from between his lips, and he looked rather assuming to the passive eye.

He had a trucker cap that was black and white while wearing a black zipped up hoodie and blue jeans. He was also wearing brown combat boots that looked out of place with the rest of his outfit. He looked rather annoyed, but it didn't concern Arthur. Whoever this man was, he intended to ignore him and go inside.

He reached into his pocket as he approached the door, searching for the apartment key.

The man didn't look up from his phone, and instead seemed engrossed in some video on a popular video sharing website. Arthur couldn't tell what it was from first glance, but he could hear gunshots coming from the phone.

Arthur, unphased, turned towards the door. Key in lock, he turned it. The sound of its clicking alerted the man sitting behind him.

"Oh…?" He grumbled, looking up from his phone towards Arthur. "Huh… 'Bout time someone came home…" He suddenly murmured, slipping his phone into a pocket as he slowly stood up. Arthur, having heard the remark, turned around to face the unknown individual. He was so close, he could even tell the man had a five'o'clock shadow. He looked over Arthur once before taking another puff of his cigarette.

He held the smoke in a moment, tossing the used cigarette to the floor and crushing it underneath his boot before letting the smoke flow past his lips and into the hallway.

"Had me waiting a good hour, kid… You live here?" He asked, putting his hands in his pockets as he questioned the young American. Arthur didn't respond for a moment, and only glanced between the door and the unknown man before coming up with a question of his own.

"Who's asking?" Arthur offered his retort, looking up at the man who easily stood taller than him by a good foot.

"Friend of Arinori-san's. That's more than you need to know. Do you live here?" He asked again, this time taking a step forward towards Arthur.

Arthur, having just remembered Himura's text from earlier, didn't back away or let himself get intimidated by the sudden attempt. He remembered Himura telling him someone was gonna stop by and to not let them in. This must've been the man he was referring to.

"Yes." Arthur said, knowing that if he lied he would've been caught in it easy. The unknown man grunted as he processed that information, visibly appreciative that Arthur didn't try to weasel away with a lie.

"You look American. Arinori-san running a daycare now to earn some extra money?" He asked, scratching his five'o'clock shadow as he glanced Arthur up and down. Arthur didn't budge.

"Excuse me, but who are you exactly?" Arthur asked him, ignoring the question posed to him.

"Hmph. You got moxie, kid. I hear that tone you're using. I can respect that you don't want to answer me…" He took another step forward, bearing down on Arthur with his height. It was at this moment Arthur began to feel an angsty feeling inside himself. "...But don't use that tone with me. I'm simply asking you a question."

"It's getting late. I should go inside." Arthur didn't hesitate to reply. He placed his hand in the pocket containing his phone, ready to dial the police if he needed to. The angst in him grew with each second the silence between them persisted. And it persisted until the man looked down, noticing the pocketed hand. He smirked.

"Calm down, kid." He put his hands up in an attempt to defuse the tension. "I would never dream of hurting a mere child." He began backing away, chuckling under his breath as he put some distance between Arthur and himself. "I just wanted to see if you knew Arinori-san… Himura Arinori… I'm assuming you do, you live here after all."

Arthur nodded, keeping a tight grip on his phone. He didn't let a single emotion show on his face, but he felt as if he needed to tread carefully. This man seemed dangerous, and Arthur wouldn't have been surprised if the guy was armed with a concealed weapon. He gave off that vibe just with the way he was talking.

"Good." He said, placing a hand on his side as he looked around. Confident that nobody was listening in on them, he smiled again and looked Arthur dead in the eyes. "Do me a favor, kid. I gotta get home to the wife, y'know how it is. I'm sure you've got a girlfriend yourself, after all… Take a message for me."

Arthur, glancing over his shoulder at the door behind him, was reluctant to agree to this request. But he knew he wouldn't have enough time to turn around, force the door open, slam it shut and lock it before the man was upon him. He'd be lucky if the man didn't get in while it was open too.

There was danger here. Arthur felt it. But, without a single tremble, he glanced back at the man before giving a slow nod.

"Alright kid, thanks." He said, crossing his arms as he spoke. "Tell Arinori-san to call Kaneshiro. If he doesn't, I'm gonna come back and talk to him myself. That's it. That's all I want you to say. Can you handle that?" He asked, almost like he didn't expect Arthur to turn him down.

And Arthur didn't.

"Fine." Arthur simply said, taking his hand out of his pocket when he was confident the man wasn't going to harm him.

The man grinned, reaching out and ruffling the kids' neat hair vigorously. "Good kid." He said, grinning devilishly. "Now run inside. We're done here." He turned away, slipping his hands into his pockets. His grin persisted. "Don't forget to tell him that, now."

With that said, he started off. An evil chuckle accompanying his departure. All the while Arthur observed him as he left, reaching up to right his hair with an annoyed sigh.

But with that sigh came a relief as well. The angst he was feeling quickly flooded from his system, and he felt more secure with the man gone. He shot his head up, falling back against the door as the relief washed over him.

He was no stranger to rough people. He had to deal with a lot of those types back in the home country. His friends were considered rough people, and the stuff they got into - and often dragged Arthur into - had toughened the young man. He was no longer intimidated easily, and there had even been a few fights he's been in that no one but himself and his friends knew about. Fights with people who had it coming, but fights nonetheless.

It was these experiences that allowed Arthur to confront this man without fear, but something told Arthur this man was no ordinary thug. That feeling is what sparked the angst and anxiety, and even caused Arthur to tone down his voice.

He looked around to see if anyone else had come onto this floor, and indeed he was alone. The man was gone, none of the neighbors had come out, and no security guard was in sight. If something were to have happened to Arthur, no one would've known.

That kind of thought frightened Arthur, and he huffed out a breath as he looked back at the stairs the man had disappeared down.

"Who was that man…?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Proof read and edited by a friend named Frozen Foe on my Discord server.
> 
> As promised, an extra long chapter to speed everything along. I think I detailed the beginning of his relationships so far really well, and I am looking forward to bringing them to new heights in the coming chapters. This next chapter is going to be special, just you wait.
> 
> Speaking of which, my editor came forward with a request. All this editing is burning him out, so we've decided unanimously that the story is gonna be slowed down with the writing process. At maximum, there will only be a chapter a week. But with the length of this next chapter, it's probably gonna be more like two or three depending on how I manage my time. It's gonna be big enough to where I have to split it into two parts. Look forward to that, though.
> 
> I hope you all are enjoying, so far. I certainly am.


	10. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Enemies surround him. Obstacles lay in his path. Salvation requires that he overcome them all. Mobsters, students, reticence, vengeance."

The darkness is all that greeted his departure from reality.

The dreamworld he dreaded fell fast upon him, and for a good while he lay there. Waiting in the dark for the nightmare to show itself.

What would it be this time?

Death?

Fighting?

Tragedy?

A storm that would never cease to stir up trouble in Arthur's already unstable mind.

He had stayed up until midnight tonight, not to wait for his guardian's return, but to stave off the coming nightmare.

But instead of a nightmare, he was greeted by utter darkness.

Utter darkness accompanied by a bitter cold.

He could feel the air nipping at his exposed skin, like little teeth shredding into flesh and bone.

But he only felt if on his face and portions of his neck. Which was odd, considering he had fallen asleep in nothing but shorts and a t-shirt.

Suddenly, he felt the presence of another.

He froze in place, halting any movement he was offering. Even his breathing ceased as the presence became clearer and clearer. It felt sinister, yet at the same time there was a perceived benevolence to it. As if they had meant Arthur no harm, be it physical or mental.

He slowly opened his eyes, finding the somewhat familiar blue sight shocking and comforting all at the same time.

He turned his still head left, and caught sight of the other tables similar to his own. A couple of corpse beds were open and left vacant as well.

He turned his head right, and there he spotted the presence.

Igor. Sitting ever pleasantly and idly as if he had never moved from the spot.

He was watching Arthur with this ever present, never fading smile. His eyes continued to go unblinking, and he was resting his head on the palm of his right hand, using the other hand to tap away at the table as if he was waiting on Arthur to say something.

But Arthur didn't say anything. He just slowly sat up and took in his surroundings, surprised to be back in such a dream.

" _I suppose it is better than the alternative…_ " He mentally concluded, somewhat unsure if even that was true.

His eyes landed once again on Igor, and Arthur slowly slid off of his autopsy table and onto his feet. The clicks of his funeral shoes echoed in the soundless chamber, and he took a small step forward towards Igor, wary of the unknown that surrounded this man greatly.

"You…" Arthur said, noting Igor's silence being reminiscent of his own.

"I was wondering if you had lost your capability of speech, dear Arthur." He wasted no time in responding, lowering his hand from his cheek as he spoke. "I'm glad to see it is not so."

"I'm just confused is all…. Igor, was it?" Arthur asked. Igor nodded, quietly chuckling at the idea that Arthur had forgotten his name. "Right… I'm just… I'm just confused as to what this all means…"

Igor, delighted by what Arthur put forth, began cackling louder and louder as Arthur hushed himself. He took a moment to investigate the clothing he wore. The shiny black shoes, the white gloves, the soft funeral coat and pants. All so warm, but was it even real? This was a dream, after all…

_A very coherent dream…_

_Or is it…?_

"Have you finally come to realize this place for what it is, dear Arthur?" Igor asked suddenly, cutting off his own laughter rather abruptly as the question lingered. "Have you come to your senses? The last time we met, you broke down in a patheticness that is unlike you and accused me as the perpetrator behind your nightmares."

"I'm well aware of that. I just choose not to think on it." Arthur told him, crossing his arms defensively. "I do apologize, though. There's only so much of this nightmare bullshit I can take before I lose it…." He murmured, looking down at his feet in disgust with his past actions. He shook his head in silence a moment, finding sudden embarrassment for what he had done. "You were just unfortunate enough to be present when my limit was reached."

When he glanced back up at Igor, a sudden thought occurred to him. "I suppose, though, if I see you then I'm in the clear for the night. So I guess a thank you is in order as well."

"Well…" Igor said, raising a hand to meet Arthur's gaze. "I don't bring you here to keep you from the damaging nightmares. Indeed, you must experience the horrors of sleepless nights and the realm of nightmare in order to achieve your goal." He said, matter-of-factly. Arthur wasn't surprised to hear this though. As cryptic as it sounded, it made some sense in Arthur's mind.

Somewhere, deep down, he couldn't keep the sinister feeling he was gleaming from this man away. This feeling confirmed to Arthur Igor's words; that he wasn't going to protect him when he needed it.

"Yeah." Arthur agreed slowly. "I guess I can see that."

"More importantly." Igor said, lowering his hand to the desk as he leaned forward, forming a pyramid before his face with his fingers. "It seems you are steadily accruing a diverse array of allies…" He noted with a deep chuckle. The very statement caught Arthur off guard for a moment as he cocked his head, confused as to what Igor meant. He did not offer words to the dream man.

Igor noted this silence Arthur was offering and rose a hand, with one finger stretched upwards as he began listing off the confidants Arthur had made.

"A man who acts as your guardian, but has had little time for you since you arrived under his care…"

He rose a second finger.

"A young native of the land of the rising sun who, before your arrival, had no friends to speak of…"

A third finger.

"A criminal with a history to prove it, but an intellectual all the same…"

A fourth finger.

"And a beautiful young woman who, until recently, hid herself behind a public mask to protect both herself and her closest friend…"

Arthur continued to maintain a static silence, unsure of what to say of Igor's intimate knowledge on his personal relationships. Furthermore, he was confused by the less than amusing

anecdotes of the people he has come to know in his short time in Japan. Igor could sense what Arthur was feeling, but chose not to elaborate. He knew Arthur would figure it out, if not now, then later.

Arthur opened his mouth to speak, but Igor stopped him with an open palm and a clear voice.

"Furthermore, your actions today have gained the ire of a new enemy." Igor added, much to the growing confusion of Arthur. "Worry not, dear Arthur, for making enemies is unavoidable on the path to salvation. She is by no means dangerous to _you_ in her current state, either. Think of it as a speedbump."

Arthur, meanwhile, held his head as he thought on who Igor was referring to. There wasn't many people he knew, much less people that outright disliked him. There was Mr. Sakutaro, but the teacher didn't seem interested in hindering Arthur in any capacity.

"Who are you…?" Arthur murmured, rubbing his forehead as he thought. But then it dawned on him when he realized there was only one other person that could fit the bill. It only made sense, with the limited amount of people who wish to interact with him. "Are you…referring to Makoto? Makoto Niijima? The class president?"

Igor broke the pyramid he had formed, laying his head flat on his palm as he chuckled a deep laughter. "Indeed."

Arthur, letting go of his head, looked up at the bizarre old man with a little apprehension in his voice. He was unsure of what to make of the fact she was now considered an enemy by this bizarre dream man. "What do you mean I've " _earned her ire_ "? I barely know her…."

"Your interaction with her today has only casted suspicion upon you." Igor informed Arthur. It never ceases to amaze Arthur with how sinister his voice sounded, even though he is merely trying to help the young American. "Worry not. She matches your intellect, but she does not share your calm way of approaching matters. She is reckless, and when the moment of truth arrives, she has no clue on how to proceed while maintaining direct momentum."

Arthur nodded, understanding what he was saying. An enemy that lacks his calm approach, but shares his intelligence. It didn't take a nuclear science officer to know that that was a bad combination, and would only spell disaster in the future. But what Arthur didn't understand was why entirely that made her his enemy.

"But why is she my enemy, per se?" Arthur asked, still not entirely understanding why Makoto would even be considered an enemy by Igor. The old man chuckled, the notion that Arthur holding a sense of naivety was laughable to him. "I'm serious, Igor. I don't understand."

Igor nodded, setting his hands down in front of him and righting his posture as spoke. "It is very simple." He said, as if Arthur should've figured it out long ago. "She seeks the Phantom Thieves. But unlike you, she has malevolent intent. Contracted by those unknown to even me, she seeks to ascertain their true identities and, if possible, how they go about their work. When she is given what she seeks, there is no telling the ruin that will bring." Igor shook his head, as if disappointed personally by these turns of events.

Arthur, not able to find any words to describe how he felt towards this revelation, simply gulped and nodded. He understood that that sounded bad, but he didn't fully understand why Igor was telling him all of this. Igor noticed and pointed at Arthur, catching his attention.

"This brings me to my point, dear Arthur. The reason I summoned you here tonight." He said, almost as if he had planned every detail of this conversation down to the littlest of points. "You've made no progress since I've given this task to you. You must make haste now, for an enemy is already a few steps ahead of you. Find the Phantom Thieves. Find them, before _she_ does." He demanded.

Arthur, remembering that Igor had once demanded this of him before, only nodded. He had no reason at this point to not trust Igor. If Igor had wished harm upon Arthur, he would've already inflicted such. The fact he was also staving off nightmares every now and again only further reinforced the idea that Igor was benevolent.

But something about his voice continued to plague Arthur's mind. It remained sinister when everything else seemed harmless.

"Ignore all else. Invitations by your allies, school functions, personal interests…" He bade Arthur, as if Arthur should forget everything he's been enjoying since his arrival. "Focus solely on the Phantom Thieves. With your intellect, you should no doubt come to a conclusion, even a vague one, by the end of the next two weeks. We will speak more then."

"So should I consider befriending them out of the question then?" Arthur suddenly asked, stopping Igor in his tracks. Arthur was mentioning a previous task Igor had bestowed upon him the last time they had met. For a moment, Igor was silent. As if processing the words Arthur had offered him.

Then, quite surprisingly, it looked as if Igor's smile grew. Was that even possible? Arthur had no idea if it was, considering that Igor had kept it a wide and scary picture throughout each encounter.

Igor followed his widening grin with a deep chuckle, laughing at the question posed to him. Arthur didn't understand, but he didn't pry. Igor was the unknown, Arthur knew that the man knew more than he did. If he found Arthur's question amusing, then Arthur surmised that he must've done something wrong to be so amusing.

"Seek the Phantom Thieves, dear Arthur." He rose a hand, snapping his fingers together as he spoke. "Find them, before it is too late."

Arthur tried to speak, but the second Igor's fingers met, he was bombarded with a wave of exhaustion and weariness. He grunted, his head pounding as if he was dehydrated, and he collapsed to his knees.

"You will find that there are many unexpected things in the world, dear Arthur." Igor said, as if taking delight in the struggling and the apparent pain Arthur seemed to be in. The young American glanced up, breathing through his clenched teeth as he tried to make out the figure of Igor. "Soon, the world as you know it will be graced with change, and with it, distortion. Your life will then be forever altered. I will patiently await that day, for it is not far off."

He began cackling, watching as the young American writhed and struggled on the cold floor. Arthur tried to force himself to stay awake, having more questions that only Igor could answer. But it was to no avail. The harder he struggled, the more bleak his exhaustion became. He sighed, his vision slowing darkening. The floor became his host, and quickly he collapsed fully.

A single breath flew free from his cold, cold lips as he lay there, unconscious on a frigid floor.

Moments passed as he lingered in the dark.

He was unaware if his eyes were open, or if they were closed tight.

But nearby, he heard an unmistakable voice call out to him.

"Hey. Kid. I made coffee. Time to get up."

* * *

He had woken to a morning filled with good omens.

A delighted Himura running about the apartment, doing task after task almost as if his life depended on it. From brewing coffee to answering the door for a neighbor to cooking breakfast. He was all over the place. But to Arthur's incredible surprise, he never once managed to ruin how neat his clothes looked this morning.

He seemed to be a complete opposite to how he was last night, when Arthur had informed him of their " _visitor's_ " words. He seemed downcast, almost depressed with what the man had told him. He immediately went to bed afterwards without saying a word to Arthur, and when Arthur questioned him on who the man was or who " _Kaneshiro"_ was, Himura simply told him to not worry about it.

To see him so lively in a single morning, and with that bright smile plastered on his face, it was a breath of fresh air to Arthur who had expected Himura to maintain that air of negativity with him throughout the night.

The breakfast was something different this morning. It wasn't exactly a home cooked meal, mostly boxed stuff. But it was all Japanese. Japanese letters were emblazoned on the boxes, and all Himura had to do was heat them up.

"Figured I'd do something nice for ya after yesterday. I heard you had a tiring day out at the park from your school." Himura had justified his actions, much to Arthur's pleasure. He hasn't really had much of the Japanese cuisine in his time in the country. "I've had these breakfast meals in my freezer for weeks now, so I figured why not?"

They had eaten together, watching a rerun of an American show dubbed in Japanese. It was about a group of zany, law-breaking friends who ran a dive bar in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The plot as it stood was a marriage out in the woods on Friday the thirteenth going absolutely haywire mostly due to the actions of the unofficial leader of the friend group.

Arthur was unfamiliar with the show, but Himura absolutely enjoyed it. The dark, satirical humor caught on with Arthur, and pretty soon he was laughing alongside his guardian.

Cup of coffee in one hand, chopsticks in another, they sat together and watched and whiled away their hour before Himura left.

But before Himura left, he gave Arthur another allowance.

"Here. I don't have much, but I know you still don't have a bag." He said, handing Arthur a five thousand yen banknote. "Go to the underground mall. Pick one up. I am dead serious, Arthur. Pick up some new clothes too, you've been wearing the same articles for two weeks now. I gotta go to work. Get to school on time, kid."

From there, Arthur readied himself for the day and prepared for school. He buttoned his black uniform shirt, pinned his grade onto himself, and set out only an hour later for school.

He made it to the train station on time, a little early actually. He was going to stand around and look at his phone until the intercom announced his train's arrival, but as he came to the bottom of the stairs he was surprised to see a familiar face alone nearby.

A black haired student with a cat peering over his shoulders. He was looking down at his phone, unaware of how conspicuous he was being with an animal living in his bag.

It was Ren Amamiya.

Arthur looked at him for a moment, debating on whether or not to approach. It seemed to the young American that Ren was enjoying himself, staring at his phone with a bright smile on his face. The cat seemed equally invested in whatever it was Ren was staring at.

But Arthur realized he had nothing better to do but wait for the train, and figured why not spend it with someone he was at least friendly with. Turning on his heels, he approached the young Japanese man. The cat looked over, giving off a sharp mewl as it retreated into Ren's bag. Ren, startled, looked up at the approaching American with wide open eyes. He lowered his phone, greeting Arthur warmly.

"Ah, Arthur." Ren greeted him, showing off his ever calm and collected voice to the young American. "How are you this morning?"

"Bringing the cat to school, I see?" Arthur ignored his question, crossing his arms and shifting to one side as he smirked devilishly at the black haired student. Ren shifted his gaze downwards, chuckling at the fact he had been caught while his cat slowly rose out of the bag. It was almost as if the cat was aware it had been caught.

"Like I said before, Arthur. I can't trust Morganna to be alone." Ren reminded him.

Arthur nodded, not really caring much that someone was breaking school policy with animals. "Besides, you should really be looking in the mirror when discussing school rules. Is that facial hair I see?" He responded with equal smugness. Arthur froze, unsure of what Ren meant. He looked down his nose, not seeing a single strand of hair above his lip.

"Huh…" Arthur grunted, raising a hand to his lips as he tried to suss out what Ren was telling him. To his surprise, there were indeed snippets of facial hair growing above his lip, just out of his view.

"I don't particularly care, Arthur, but you should look at that soon." Ren told him, maintaining his cocky smile. Arthur nodded, bringing his hand back to his side as he glanced up at Ren.

"Well, since you asked, I'm doing fine myself. Bar a moustache coming in, I'm doing pretty good." Arthur spoke up, ignoring the fact that they both were technically breaking school regulation and partially referring to his nightmareless night. "How about yourself?"

"I'm doing good. Just waiting for the train like everyone else." Ren replied, slipping his phone into a pocket as he spoke. "Do you have your clothes ready for…. Oh…."

"Huh…?" Arthur said, unsure of what stopped Ren in his tracks. He caught the black haired student staring at him, adjusting his own glasses as he further examined Artur. "What's up?" He asked, surprised Ren was now staring at him.

"You're not wearing your glasses…" Ren noted, realizing what was different about Arthur today. "Are they prescription or just a part of your outfit?" He further asked, genuinely curious to the answer Arthur held.

Arthur was surprised Ren noticed. Himura certainly didn't, and he was wondering how Ichisake would react when he found out. But, with a nervous scratch on his arm and a low chuckle, he looked away as he confirmed Ren's words. "Yeah, they're… they're gone. I'm farsighted, so they're prescription." He said, barring the details away from Ren. He didn't want word to get out that the animals of Japan were taking advantage of his kindness. Ren nodded.

"Well, how have you been getting on since you lost them?" Ren asked, assuming Arthur had lost them even though they were, in fact, stolen.

"It's no trouble. I went fourteen years of my life without glasses, I can safely go without them a while longer." Arthur informed Ren, much to Ren's satisfaction. "As long as I'm not biking or driving, I can get where I'm going…. It might be more difficult reading things up close, though…"

Ren snickered at that, holding up three fingers close to Arthur's view. "How many fingers am I holding up?" He asked, much to Arthur's sudden annoyance.

Arthur deadpanned at Ren, not even uttering a word or even entertaining the notion of answering his question born from dickery. However, the humor reminded Arthur of his friends back home, and a little bit inside of him wanted to at least give off a little smile..

But he instead just shook his head, shrugging off Ren's attempt at humor as he turned to look at the station clock. Arthur wasn't worried about the train being late, he was just looking for something to shoulder the burden of his serious look for a moment. Ren, his arm collapsing to his side, began chuckling under his breath.

"You're a serious one." Ren noted, placing his free hand inside his pocket.

"Only at times when I cannot see the flavor in the joke…" Arthur admitted, noting the time being seven fourty seven in the morning. "What was the, er, original question?" Arthur then asked, turning his attention back on Ren as if the little joke never occurred.

"Ah, what a coincidence. Running into you both at the same time." Someone nearby spoke up, surprising Arthur and Ren to a good degree. Ren seemed to have realized who it was rather swiftly though as he, sighing, directed his gaze to a point behind Arthur. "But I suppose it's only natural that the problem students attract…. Like magnets to metal." She added, almost sounding as if she felt superior to the two.

Arthur turned around, and his surprise died as he realized who was speaking.

It was Makoto Niijima, standing before the both of them with her hands clasped together and a snooty smile plastered on her lips. Almost as if she had learned something that she was desperate to know.

"Problem students, eh?" Arthur murmured, lowering his head to hide his mouth.

"Ah, Niijima-senpai." Ren, ignoring Arthur's statement, stepped forward and passed Arthur. "What a coincidence indeed."

"Williams-san, the rumored insane student, and Amamiya-kun, the infamous criminal. Together in one spot." She noted, holding a finger to her chin as if to amplify the impact of her deduction. "I want to say it's odd, but I can easily see where you share commonality." She quietly added.

Arthur looked up at her. He was still uneasy with her and her intentions towards the both of them, even more so when she has been proclaimed to him as an enemy. As much as he would hate to give dreams merit, he had no choice but to give Igor some - if just a little.

Despite his angst towards her, he kept up a warm smile. Even going so far as to pretend they really haven't met before and feigning ignorance of their previous encounter.

She didn't even seem keen on bringing the clean up event up with Arthur either, she seemed to be hiding that for Ren's sake.

"What are you going on about?" Arthur asked, shifting his tone to a faux curious one. He knew what she was doing, analyzing the both of them and hiding it behind a sense of pure curiosity. That's something he's supposed to be doing towards the Phantom Thieves himself, too. Looking over at Ren, he could tell by his subtle glare that he was thinking the same thing too.

But Ren had no reason to be upset with Makoto's presence, did he?

"Oh, nothing. Don't mind me." Makoto said, turning away to ignore Arthur's curious eyes. "I'm just _so_ thrilled that my peers can ignore the rumors spreading about one another and become such solid friends." She said, adopting a smile that, on the outside, looked friendly. But Arthur wasn't so sure given his recent interaction with her. "I'm honestly a little jealous of how much you two seem to get along. Oh well, don't be late to school you two." She said, deciding she had analyzed them enough.

Backing off while she still had the upper hand, she slowly strolled herself towards the line in order to wait for the train like everyone else. Ren shook his head, realizing himself that what just happened wasn't good for his relatively new friend.

"She's an odd one." Ren said, turning back to face Arthur. "I saw that she got a hold of you yesterday at the park, actually. I hope she-"

"I actually wanted to talk to you about that." Arthur quickly interrupted him, pivoting around so Makoto was no longer in his view. He then lowered his tone so, in the case that she was listening, she wouldn't be able to hear a word he said. "She was trying to grill me for information on you. Apparently she saw us together at the school, I don't know what beef she has with you, but I didn't say a word. Her catching us here won't look good on you in the long run either."

"We barely know each other as is, Arthur." Ren reminded him in the same low tone. "I doubt, whatever she was looking for, she would've gotten it from you. But…" Ren said, joining him in facing away from her. He gestured forward, suggesting that they walk further down the line to avoid her. Arthur nodded, understanding the verbal cue fully. "Well… Don't get on her bad side, Arthur. She's in the teacher's pockets and, likewise, has influence within the school faculty. Play nice with her, even if she's looking for information. If you don't want her seeking reprisal or having her thumb pressed against your back, give her what she seeks. It won't help her to a huge extent."

"So you know she's going after you specifically…?" Arthur asked, surprised to hear that Ren was acknowledging and even allowing this behavior to pursue him.

They came to a stop at the end of the line, where the train, when it arrives, will end and allow them to avoid Makoto's gaze all together. Indeed, they've lost sight of her now and hopefully she has lost sight of them. Ren turned and glanced around, making sure they were in the clear. Satisfied that they were, he glanced back at Arthur, who had donned a curious stare.

"Unfortunately, that is the case. She… uh… She's not good at this whole thing honestly but I'm telling you this for your own benefit, Arthur. Don't make an enemy of her. I saw how you basically stormed off from her yesterday. That only grants her conviction to blossom further."

Arthur nodded, understanding the point Ren was giving him. "I understand. I'll be careful." He said, before quickly adding "But why's she looking into you? What has she got against you?"

Ren didn't hesitate to reply and glanced down the tracks, waiting to see if the train was close to the station. "It's likely due to the whole Kamoshida incident." He said. "Everyone knows I had an issue with him, she's probably looking into the rumors that I threatened him with something close to physical violence, possibly on the behalf of another teacher who was close to the scumbag." He admitted almost nonchalantly.

Arthur wasn't surprised any further with this revelation. With the way Ren had explained it, it only made sense. It even explained why she was trying to lead her interrogation yesterday onto the subject of Ren. Nodding, he turned away to face the tracks like everyone else around them. Blending in like the many students and adults.

"Ah…" Arthur grunted. "I guess that does explain it. The school doesn't need " _criminals_ " in their midst, after all. I suppose it only makes sense to utilize someone who can blend in with the crowd rather than a teacher." Arthur quietly deduced, impressing Ren with his quick thinking and insight. "Especially if she can be trusted."

"Precisely." Ren agreed, keeping Makoto down the line in his peripheral as he spoke. "I'm kinda surprised you realized that so quickly." He added, much to the amusement of Arthur.

"Get to know me, Ren." Arthur chuckled, finding reason to grin so wide and so bright in the troubled conversation they were having. "I'm a rather smart cookie."

Ren nodded, quietly pleased he found an intellectual rival. Then, sounding off in the busy train station, the station intercom buzzed to life. The woman on the other end began informing everyone of the train's impending arrival, much to audible relief of everyone waiting nearby.

Even Arthur smiled, as the thought of riding the train with a friend became a steadily welcoming thought.

Even more so as it was someone who could match his intelligence and quick thinking.

Looking down the line, Arthur could see the headlights of the train piercing the darkness of the tunnel. Blinding to look directly at, the young American averted his eyes and noticed everyone was getting in line behind them. But lucky for Arthur and Ren, and perhaps even Makoto further down, they were all first in line to board.

That meant the seats were free for the taking.

Satisfied, Arthur slipped his hands into his pockets while Ren, who was now checking his phone, looked up at the young American, a question ringing in his mind.

"I meant to ask earlier…" Ren said, watching the train cautiously approach the station. "But do you have your summer clothes ready for tomorrow?"

* * *

The train ride passed the two by at a rather quick pace. Having found a seat near the doors they entered from, the two sat down and, for a while, kept quiet. Both were looking at their phones. Ren was seemingly texting his other friends while Arthur was investigating his phone for another ghostly buzz.  
But as before, there were no notifications. Just the same wolfpack lock screen as before.

That also left Arthur with the same frustration he had every time this happened.

Part of the quiet between them could be attributed to Makoto, wary that perhaps she had chosen to remain nearby to eavesdrop on them. Arthur would glance around the traincar though, and could spy no one that fit her description. Just a lot of young Shujin students and middle-aged adults heading to work. Life flowing like a natural river, even though they were all compacted into a tin can.

Both parties were now aware of Makoto's interest in the pair, Arthur having remembered Igor's words from the night now passed. About her search for the Phantom Thieves and how she had bad intentions. It seemed Ren was caught up in the game Makoto was playing too.

" _What a shame…_ " Arthur thought, turning his phone back off. " _Ren's a nice guy. Doesn't deserve this kind of attention…_ "

Normally people would treat their enemy with scorn, but Arthur was different. While indeed Makoto was going to be a roadblock in the unfolding story he had yet to start, and at some point he deduced he would have to deal with her, but she wasn't actively harming him at this moment nor was she actively seeking to undermine him.

She didn't deserve his scorn. Not yet at any rate.

He didn't know how Ren felt about the subject either, but refrained from questioning him. The fact he called her by the honorific of " _senpai"_ told Arthur all he needed to know about what he was thinking.

When Ren found himself satisfied with his texts, and Arthur was sure Makoto wasn't listening in on them, the two slowly struck a conversation. One that was awkward at first due to how sudden it was, but rapidly picked up momentum.

The topics varied, from the park clean up to the interests the two had around the city. From fishing to the batting cages, chess and cooking - an interest the two seemed to share, and even the bizarre things like model guns, which Arthur could see Ren being an enthusiast of. He certainly looked the type.

When the two realized they had shared an interest in cooking, the two babbled on together about the dishes they know about. Ren mostly talked about curry, while Arthur went on and on about the dishes he threw together on the spot back in the home country. How he learned how to cook when he was thirteen, and how he used to cook for his family when the days were decent.

Ren then admitted that he only recently got into cooking. Beforehand he was more focused on his studies and bookwork. Cooking became a required necessity upon transferring to Shujin and Tokyo all together.

Arthur interrupted the conversation, however, with a sudden question that has been dragging on his mind since he arrived two weeks ago. He hasn't had the time to go asking about either, and not that anyone would answer him given his current reputation around the school.

"Go ahead." Ren said, inviting the young American to ask his question. He was grinning a genuine smile, finding great enjoyment with this conversation. "I'm not sure I'll be able to help you, though."

Arthur nodded, knowing that Ren had only been at the school a little while longer than he has. "Well… I was a member of my school's fencing team…. Some stuff happened, but that's neither here nor there." Arthur explained, doing his best to tiptoe around any explanation Ren needed. "But I was wondering, does Shujin have a fencing team? I'd love to get involved." He asked, smiling brightly at the thought of reengaging in favorite pastime of his.

Ren shook his head, much to Arthur's displeasure. But Ren was quick to note the past tense, and picked up on that. " _Was_ , huh?" Ren said, quickly coming to a deduction. "Sounds like there's a story behind that."

Arthur just shook his head, pausing to get an idea of what he could say. He wasn't one to air his personal business to anyone not qualified to deal with it, and Ren was a highschool student. He was far from qualified. Not even Ichisake knew about why Arthur was no longer on the team back home, and Arthur intended to keep it that way.

In his eyes, it made the world simpler.

"Yeah. I guess you could say there is a story behind that…" Arthur admitted, his great smile failing and receding as he thought up what he could say to satiate Ren's curiosity. "...But not one I'd like to tell…"

Ren slowly nodded, understanding well what that meant. He also understood though that stewing over something mentally was bad for your health. "If there's ever anything you need to talk about, Arthur. My ears are always open." He offered Arthur, basically offering him a chance to vent. But Arthur pitched him a brief smile.  
"No thanks. My problems aren't yours. I have no reason to make them yours." Arthur said, before adding "Besides, I only air my problems to those qualified to deal with them… N-no offense."

"Fair enough." Ren shrugged, deciding to let the subject go. He certainly understood where Arthur was coming from and it was a viable stance to take in situations like this.

The two, unsure of what to say to one another, sat in silence for moments onward. Ren, his phone buzzing, decided to check it and see who was texting him. Little did both of them know it had been buzzing the whole conversation, and Ren had missed out on a lot of texts.

Arthur, meanwhile, simply lost himself in thought. He was leaning back in his seat, staring out the windows to the passing underground lights. At one point, they even seemed to have passed a maintenance tunnel with workers walking along the guardrails.

But none of this was of any interest to Arthur. All that interested him was the dark memories - that Ren brought up. A single question brought to light in his mind the unfairness bestowed upon him based on a single mistake he had made in life.

He tried to swivel his thoughts away, to try and land on more positive topics. He even tried to speak up and engage Ren in another conversation. Ren wasn't listening though, engrossed in the text messages he was receiving. The more he tried, the harder these mental images - almost involuntary thoughts - became to ignore.

He quickly winced, thinking back to the very day he was kicked off of his team and was rendered unable to ever rejoin.

It all happened a year ago.

After he made a terrible mistake that almost became permanent.

* * *

_The anxiety he felt was palpable._

_Every fiber of his being spoke of warmth and an unsure view._

_The room he was in was quiet._

_Sports equipment for various teams was scattered about the edges of the room, with the fencing swords of his team displayed high above the coach's desk._

_Basketball, baseball, soccer all._

_His parents had been requested to show up._

_But they never did._

_It was only Arthur, sitting alone in that room._

_Two coaches were in_ _the hallway_ _, be_ _hind_ _a door he was staring towards._

_He could hear mumbling from beyond._

_He had been called in after school to have a word with them._

_They know about his situation._

_It was all anyone around the school talked about, even the teachers were abuzz with the news._ _Only friends_ _could find sympathy with the young man, but_ _all_ _others saw what had happened as a big detriment to the school as a whole._

_He was seen as dangerous._

_He was seen as unstable._

_But most importantly, he was labeled as insane._

_His attempt at suicide was all anyone talked about, coupled with the Baker Act he was forced into by police._

_All of that happened merely two weeks ago._

_The repercussions of such an act spread further than Arthur could ever have anticipated._

_Instead of sympathy by his peers, he was met with scorn._

_From the teachers? He was met with disgust._

_He was seen as nothing more than trouble for both the school and the public._

_His friends were the only ones who remained by his side through it all, even though they themselves were criminals and ne'er-do-wells themselves. They were the only ones who knew what Arthur went through day in and day out._

_Arthur sighed, tapping the table before him with a single finger. The coaches suddenly went quiet, and so did Arthur's mind. He could hear footsteps from the tile hall outside, and the door clicked._

_They had entered, one with frightened eyes, another with crossed arms and a serious flare on his face._

_What they had been discussing out there was his membership on the school's fencing team._

_"Arthur…" The frightened coach started, wary of any negative reaction the supposed crazy student before him could offer. "You know what we've been discussing…"_

_"Yes…" Arthur sullenly stated, as he could hear the faint muffled voices the door offered._

_The two coaches nodded, the serious looking one taking a seat in front of Arthur._

_"We've had to come to a decision, Arthur. We also felt you had the right to hear it with your own ears…" The stern looking coach said, all the while the cautious coach stood behind him. They were wary of Arthur's reaction. "This decision doesn't come from us directly though. The school board had a hand in this, so please keep that in mind."_

_Arthur nodded, but commented on the fact these coaches were tiptoeing around the issue. An issue Arthur saw clear as day, but didn't want to accept. "You say that like I'm going to attack you. Whatever it is, just say it. I can handle it."_

_The coaches looked at one another. They shouldn't have been surprised with Arthur's insight on how they were feeling, he was leagues ahead of his classmates with his intelligence. He had demonstrated that more than once on the team._

_The cautious coach nodded, and the more serious one leaned forward, placing his arms strategically before him in the event Arthur freaked out._

_Arthur noticed, but chose not to say anything. It seemed even the rumors that he was insane had reached and twisted their view on him too._

" _Well, regarding the recent... Well, you know what you did. We're not gonna discuss it, but we all know what happened, Arthur." He slowly started, unsure of how to break the news to Arthur. "But the school board contacted us after having heard what happened. They don't want you fencing for us anymore. You are considered, by them and by the law apparently, unable to wield a weapon in sports."_

" _I see…" Arthur simply said, nodding and keeping a straight face. But deep down, he was burning alive with the fear of being kicked off._

_A fear that was being realized._

" _We've talked it over with the principal, and the school board, and even your parents…"_

" _Oh, so you've discussed it with_ _ **them**_ _as well?" Arthur interjected, finding it unfair that they brought it up with his uncaring parents. The coaches both nodded before continuing._

" _Anyways, the decision we've come to is this: Starting tomorrow, you'll no longer be a member, or a representative, of the fencing team. Furthermore, until you are deemed mentally capable of handling dangerous sports weapons, you will not be allowed to rejoin the team."_

_Arthur's heart sank, and this whole time he had been holding himself high. He had been hopeful that maybe, just maybe, the worst wouldn't come to pass._

_The coaches looked between themselves, unsure of what Arthur was thinking with the news presented to him._

_He couldn't do it anymore..._

_He couldn't maintain anymore the facade he had held since his medical release._

_Those last few words…_

_And a single tear…_

_That is what defeated him._

* * *

" _Now approaching Aoyama-Itchome Station. Doors will open on the left._ "

"Looks like we're approaching our stop…" Ren said, lowering his phone as the train's intercom sounded off. Looking over at Arthur, he noticed the distant stare on his face. "Hey? Hey, Arthur? Are you OK?" He asked. Arthur didn't respond for a moment, just silently watching as they pulled into the station.

Ren, unsure of what this meant, cautiously placed a hand on the young American's shoulder, realizing he wasn't listening to anything around him. "Arthur. Are you dozing off or something?" He shook him, stirring the young man alive. He shot his head around at Ren, blinking and quite visibly flustered.

"Huh… W-What?" Arthur stammered, unsure of what was happening.

Ren blinked, retracting his hand slowly as he spoke. "We reached our stop." Ren stood up, throwing his cat bag over his shoulder. "Are you alright? You seemed to have drifted off there…"

Arthur, upon realizing they were approaching their destination, nodded and slowly stood up, eyeing the cat that was hanging over Ren's shoulder. "Just keep your cat hidden, Ren." Arthur told him, ignoring the question posed to him. "So what do you think is for lunch today?" He added, placing his hands in his pockets as he nonchalantly exited the train. "I'm kinda in the mood for some chicken stew…"

Ren stood there a moment, unsure what was going through Arthur's mind. The American didn't wait for Ren, and kept on walking as if nothing at all had occurred. He had totally ignored Ren's question, and didn't seem to be aware that Ren wasn't following. Sharing a glance with his cat, Ren shook his head before quickly jogging to catch up with the young American.

The two exchanged conversations for the short walk to school. Things such as lunch, the recent events everyone's been talking about concerning Shibuya, and the cross confrontation with Makoto from earlier. Arthur couldn't help but wonder himself how far she was from the two of them, and when he would try to glance around the road, he wouldn't be able to spot her. Too many students were following behind.

When the two had reached the school limits, it almost felt to Arthur that the morning was beginning all over again. But the sour taste Makoto had left him with did not disappear. He couldn't help but voice his displeasure with her.

"I still can't get over Niijima-san's attitude…" Arthur said quietly, wary that she might be close by. Ren turned to look at him, surprised he brought it back up. But it was understandable. Makoto had no reason to be dragging Arthur into her mess.

"You kinda just learn to tune her out." Ren said, shifting his gaze forward. Arthur nodded, understanding well what it was like to survive by simply tuning another out. It was how he got by day to day back in the home country.

"You've been here longer than me." Arthur noted, to which Ren nodded with an affirmative grunt. "Has she always been so… I don't know… So devilish? Hostile? As if she had an ulterior motive just for simply speaking with you?"

Part of this curiosity came from his interactions with her. Not just from her interrogation, but her simple taunting attitude she gave them this morning - an attitude Ren seemed to have ignored with flying colors. The other part of his curiosity came from the words of a dream man he remembered well.

Words that claimed Makoto to be an enemy.

"She hasn't really been so hostile towards me until recently." Ren admitted without hesitation, as if subtly defending her. "Before then we passed one another in the halls often, and she wouldn't bat an eye at my presence." He added just as quickly. Arthur then nodded, seeing it kinda noble that Ren would defend her even when she was being hostile towards him.

Quickly, Arthur noted his use of the word " _recently_ ". He couldn't help but ask what that meant.

Turning his head slightly, Arthur frowned and asked "How recently?"

"Eh, shortly after Kamoshida's…" Ren started before pausing briefly, glancing skyward as if in thought. "What do they call it?" He asked no one in particular, even stopping in his tracks as he thought. Arthur stopped with him, finding himself completely interested in Ren's words. "...Oh yeah, a change of heart. Yeah, it was around that time she started poking her nose into my business."

"Ah…" Arthur grunted, not sure what to make of such a revelation. Shrugging, they continued onwards. They were just beginning to near the stairs to the school proper, and the students all around them whispered and stared as the duo passed by each of them.

It was as if not even the pariahs can be friends with one another.

"Like I said, I think a teacher put her up to it. But I guess I have no evidence." Ren reminded Arthur, to which Arthur nodded. He could easily see a teacher putting a student who frequently sides with teachers up to skullduggery. A student could get away with it easier than a teacher could too. Ren turned to look at Arthur, dead in the eye, and with a sudden understanding tone that took Arthur by surprise, he added "Despite what's been said, she isn't so bad a person. Not from what I've heard anyhow. A very diligent student and not prone to flights of fancy. According to some people I've spoken with, she takes her job as student council president rather seriously and always lends an ear to a peer who needs it."

Arthur nodded. "I'll take your word for it."

They stopped, finding themselves at the bottom of the steps. Students were trying to avoid them, but others just passed by them without even looking. This didn't bother either of them, as both of them were used to this behavior by now. But one thing did catch their attention.

To Arthur, it was an unfamiliar man standing atop the stairs, sipping from a juice box and greeting students as they entered the school. His unkempt hair nearly falling over his glasses, an unruly looking stubble growing on his chin, and his sandals looked very out of place with how a teacher was supposed to present themselves.

To Ren, it was a very familiar, and very welcome, face.

"Welcome, welcome everyone! Please remember to get to class on time and… Oh!" He was smiling and waving to the students passing by him. Some stopped to greet him and others bowed as they passed him. But when his eyes landed on both Ren and Arthur, he stopped what he was doing in what looked like complete surprise. Grinning mildly, he descended the stairs towards them. Much to Arthur's discomfort.

His discomfort came from the fact the man was wearing a white lab coat and khakis with the out-of-place sandals. The juicebox he held - a grape logoed drink - didn't do him any favors in Arthur's rather serious mind. The only other things that looked off to Arthur was the ugly blue checkered tie, and the fact he had the bottoms of his khakis upheaved to his ankles.

Ren smiled, stepping forward towards the teacher.

"Dr. Maruki." Ren said, bowing to the teacher. "I wasn't expecting to see you waiting at the gates today."

"Ah, Amamiya-kun. Always a welcome sight." The teacher said, descending the final step and stopping within a few feet of Arthur and Ren. "And you came to school with a friend today, I see?" He noted, panning his gaze over to Arthur. "Nice to meet you, I'm Dr. Maruki. But you can just call me Maruki." He smiled at Arthur, who in turn slowly nodded.

"I'm… Arthur… Arthur Williams." He slowly said, unsure of what to make of the sight of such a casual looking teacher.

"Always a good day to meet someone new!" Maruki cheerfully said. He brought juicebox's straw up to his mouth, taking a small sip of his drink before chuckling nervously. "I've actually been waiting for you, Williams-kun… Uh, do you mind if I have a moment of your time? I promise, it'll be quick." He flashed Arthur another charming grin.

Arthur looked at Ren, who in turn was smiling at Maruki. It seemed he had some understanding of what was going on here and whatever it was, the meaning was absent to Arthur. Ren gave a casual glance around, noticing that the street is starting to become less and less crowded. Looking back at Arthur, he gave him a casual grin.

"I don't want to be late for class. I'll be seeing you Arthur." Ren said before trotting up the steps and out of sight from both Arthur and Maruki.

Arthur watched as he departed, and noticed the cat peeking out of the bag, staring Arthur right in the eye.

Arthur huffed before crossing his arms, finding this casual looking teacher out of place. Not to mention he hasn't seen him around the campus before, nor has he heard anything about Maruki to begin with.

But this was a teacher, and Arthur didn't argue with teachers.

"Is there something I can help you with?" Arthur asked him, to which Maruki chuckled and shook his head at the idea.

"Oh, not at the moment, no. I'm perfectly fine. Thank you, though." Maruki told Arthur. "I just wanted to see if you were interested in some counseling!" He smiled at Arthur, before suddenly realizing how off putting his whole gimmick instantly sounded. His smile quickly faded into a nervous frown as he scratched the back of his head. "Oh! You're probably wondering who exactly this weirdo is. My apologies, really. I'm a counselor the school hired to talk with the students. I'm part time, but I take my job very seriously." He nervously chuckled, before suddenly just stopping and shaking his head. He was being cringy in Arthur's eye and he knew it..

"The fact you're approaching me directly confirms that." Arthur nodded before shifting to his side. "But…. are you asking me this because of the rumors surrounding me, or are you actually interested personally in hearing my problems?" He asked, tapping away at his chin with a free finger. He was both curious at the man's intentions and a little insulted that the school was trying to offload him onto a counselor. A self-proclaimed counselor, by the looks of it. "There's a big difference between both, y'know?" Arthur quickly added.

"Uh… A little of both, actually." Maruki answered, unsure of whether Arthur was trying to be hostile or not. He simply shrugged it off though as he believed it was perfectly natural to be like this when a complete stranger approaches you like this. "I have heard the rumors myself and thought that you might need an ear to listen to. Such things can be a drain mentally, so are you interested?"

"I appreciate your honesty." Arthur replied, dubiously eyeing the sandals Maruki sported and the juicebox Maruki was holding, and based on these alone Arthur came to a quick answer. Shaking his head, Arthur said "But I will have to decline your offer… Sorry, Dr. Maruki."

Maruki's smile faded slightly as he took in the answer Arthur gave, and for a moment he looked as if he wasn't expecting Arthur to decline. Almost defeated, really. But then he suddenly perked up, smiling wide and brightly once again. "Well, to each their own." He giddily spoke, flashing Arthur a toothy almost childlike smile. "I won't keep you any longer, Williams-kun. But if you ever need an ear, I take office in the nurse's office in the practice building, first floor. Stop by anytime." He took a sip of his juicebox, nodding at Arthur to signal that he was letting him go.

Arthur nodded, bowing to Maruki before taking his leave. Most of the students had vacated the street already, leaving Arthur and Maruki the only ones remaining outside the school. The bell hasn't signalled for class to begin yet, but no doubt would do so soon. Maruki and Arthur didn't exchange any more words, and to Arthur that felt like a freedom in and of itself.

Maruki was weird. That much was made clear to Arthur. He didn't need to study him, nor talk with him for a prolonged period to surmise that much. Simply looking at him gave Arthur all the information he needed. His casual look for such a position, his awful cheerful attitude reminded him a little of Ann, and the sandals…

He winced at the thought of one of his therapists back in the home country showing up to a discussion with sandals and upheaved pants, a child's drink in hand.

It seemed Maruki either didn't take his job very seriously, or he wasn't a good counselor to begin with.

Either way, Arthur was doubtful Maruki could help him. As he had stated to both Ann and Ren, he was only interested in sharing his problems with those qualified to deal with them.

Maruki certainly didn't seem qualified.

He casted a glance over his shoulder, hand on a door handle that led inside, and spotted Maruki looking back at him. It wasn't clear if Maruki knew Arthur was eyeing him, but what was clear was the disappointed look on Maruki's face. Behind the lenses of his glasses, Arthur could spot - with visual clarity - the disheartened look in his eyes.

And of course, he was still sipping at his juicebox.

Arthur shook his head, imagining how incompetent the so called counselor really was. He hadn't heard of him prior to now, and how he presented himself certainly didn't do himself any favors. Not to mention the fact he approached the young American, basically declaring " _I know what everyone says about you, how about I give you therapy?"_. That fact alone was enough to agitate Arthur, and it no doubt showed during his interaction with the counselor.

Sighing at the thought that even the staff of the school believed him to be insane, he slowly opened the door to the school and stepped inside.

Quietly, he hoped that that wasn't the precursor to his day.

* * *

The day really wasn't all that interesting, and it passed by rather quickly.

Not because there were things to do, but because Arthur kept his mind busy.

There were many things on Arthur's mind that did much to occupy him.

The dream he had last night.

The thug he met yesterday who wanted to speak with his guardian.

His goal of finding the Phantom Thieves...

Of course, he tried to listen diligently in class, especially in Mr. Sakutaro's class, but he was caught again today daydreaming. It was humiliating, but nothing aside from a tongue lashing occurred and soon Arthur was back to square one mentally.

Ichisake had his own business to attend to today so he was off doing his own thing. He had attended class and talked with Arthur when possible, but during lunch and after school, he went to the A.V. club to sign up and get to know the people inside. He had told Arthur the process was exceedingly slow due to the rumors surrounding him, but thanks to a teacher that he knew putting a good word in for him, he had essentially been allowed to join. Just some paperwork was all he had to do.

It really left Arthur alone today, and he was content with that.

He had spotted Kae during lunch today, sitting alone on the stairs going towards the cafeteria. They didn't say a word to each other, but instead simply exchanged glances with one another and essentially acknowledged each other's presence. While most students would try to avoid looking directly at Arthur, Kae saw another side of him that was absent from public knowledge at yesterday's event. A side that surprised even her. A side that made her comfortable looking at him without fear of reprisal.

That was the only time he saw her today, but he saw Makoto plenty.

After all, he shared class with her.

Sometimes in class, when lost in thought, he couldn't get the feeling out of his mind that a hole was burrowed in the back of his skull. When he left for lunch, he noticed she was watching him closely. No one else, not even the teacher, noticed this behavior. But Arthur made it clear to her that he was aware of her not-so-subtle gaze by looking back at her and making eye contact. He also saw her at lunch, but she wasn't paying him no mind then. She was simply reading some book and ignoring all else.

On some level he didn't appreciate her nosiness. But on another level he held no real animosity towards her, despite Igor's declaration. If what Igor said about her was true - her recklessness - then he figured he could easily beat her in a game of wits if it came down to it.

Keyword being " _if"_.

But when class ended in total today, he was on his way out the front doors and towards the station when he remembered Himura's words this morning.

Himura gave him five thousand yen and told him to finally buy a bag and maybe some new clothing. Arthur wasn't sure how much clothing five thousand yen would get him, but the underground mall in Shibuya would no doubt have some discount shops. So that became his destination before he decided to go home.

No other stops, no other detours. He had his own homework to do.

The train ride was ridden in absolute silence for the young American. He had to stand, as all the seats had been taken by other students and adults passing through to parts unknown. The only thing that accompanied him was his thoughts that had followed him all day.

The only thing right now that he couldn't get out of his mind was the thug from yesterday.

" _What did he want?_ " Arthur couldn't keep himself from thinking.

He had relayed the message to Himura as requested, but when pressed Himura didn't say anything. He simply went to bed. If that wasn't a red flag, then Arthur didn't know the definition of " _red flag_ ". Then his sudden change in attitude this morning, almost akin to this " _change of heart_ " nonsense Arthur had been hearing about.

The man that talked with Arthur looked dangerous. He sounded dangerous. He even subtly threatened the young American when he remained silent to the questions he was offered.

Arthur couldn't wrap his head around the situation. He couldn't understand what Himura had to do with people that had such bad vibes surrounding them.

_And this Kaneshiro fellow…_

Arthur shook his head, the train coming to a stop at Shibuya Station. As the doors opened, he quietly decided that today wasn't going to be the day he would figure this out.

He stepped off the train, and made his way to the underground mall.

When he arrived, the place was as packed as last time. Men and women of varying ages and varying backgrounds bustling and hustling around. Businessmen, students, police, unscrupulous characters in the way back, and station security made up the dense population down here.

There were a lot of female students around this time, though. Many looked like they were from Shujin, according to the skirts and blouses he saw. Some were from other academic institutions though, and unfamiliar ones at that. But no one paid any mind to the young American as he stood there, taking everything in. At least, none of the adults or Shujin students.

He opened his wallet, counting the amount he possessed. Five thousand and eight hundred yen was all he had. That was his budget, and he decided he was gonna make it count.

Lifting his head, he looked around to try and spot a shop that carried duffle bags, and when he couldn't spot one right off the bat he decided to walk around a bit and find one himself.

He glanced around various shops and stands within the mall. A flower shop, a jewelry store, some clothing shops he would come back to later, and finally he found the store he was at the last time he came here, and they seemed to have had new duffle bags on display. He smiled, and started perusing what they had.

A trio of female students were in the store as well, wearing dark blue uniform blouses and solid black skirts. Patterns that were alien to Arthur. All of this was much to the delight of the young man who was running the register, but Arthur kept to himself and simply browsed the bags they had for sale. They had all sorts of different bags from last time. Most of them were still solid colors. Pink, orange, black, neon green, and more.

He shied away from those bags though, disgusted especially by the neon green.

Some had decals like lightning bolts or brands of sodas and candy. There were some with anime characters on them that, while cute, were not something Arthur would like to be seen carrying on his person.

As he was examining one bag, one that bore the logo of _The Ancient Scrolls_ with the name in Japanese kanji and a snowy white backdrop depicting it's most recent entry in the series, he saw, in his peripheral, the female students casting inquisitive glances his way. They were whispering to themselves as quiet as could be.

But Arthur was one to pay attention to the details, and he could hear their words as clear as music.

"Look at him, is he American?" One of them muttered, looking between her friends for confirmation.

"Looks like it… That uniform… He goes to Shujin it seems." Another had said, eyeing him up and down. She didn't realize he could see her well with the distance that was kept between them. "Hot damn, is he cute…" She added, causing one of her friends to giggle softly.

"Walk over there, introduce yourself."

"Hell no! I bet he's popular at Shujin. Popular guys don't go for girls like me."

Arthur snickered at the thought of him being popular. Not once in his life has he ever been in the brackets of popularity. His streak didn't end by coming here, and that girl had no idea how wrong she was.

He turned to glance at them, causing them all three of them to pause and stare right at him. A dead silence arose as they realized they had been caught and Arthur, despite the fact he held a serious mindset, couldn't help but cast a wry and knowing smile towards them. The trio started giggling even more.

In Arthur's eyes, it felt nice to hear something about him other than " _insane_ " or " _unstable_ ". A real breath of fresh air.

Arthur couldn't help himself but chuckle as well as he turned back to the reason he came here. A small, warm smile present on his lips.

The girls continued to whisper and giggle where they were but none of them approached him. Either because they weren't confident or they because they attended different schools. All the while Arthur continued to walk up and down the wall that showcased the bags they had. This store had different stuff than just bags, though, and he intended to browse them as well since the other products were mostly clothes of varying sorts.

He even saw a black hoodie he liked on the way in.

Five thousand and eight hundred yen.

It was likely he would only be able to buy a bag and a few shirts, nothing more.

But it was fine. Arthur only needed a few options of clothing to get him by until he found more money.

Walking along, even gliding past the girls who had shown interest in him, he ended up in the back section of the store, spotting more visually appealing bags.

Some were small, others the size of suitcases.

Decals such as flowers, mantras, and food among other things decorated them.

But Arthur smiled, finding one that looked very appealing to him.

His favorite time period to study in Japanese history was the Edo period. A period rife with stories of samurai and the feudal lords.

This bag was a misty grey color, with depictions of warriors on the sides and one very decorative, very detailed samurai dawning a solid red uniform and a helmet with antlers, he was holding a defensive stance at the end of the bag.

He grabbed the strap and held it up for a better view, seeing that the other unseen side looked very much like the side that was being displayed. The misty grey color of it looked very much like a mist, with the samurai and his army coming out of it like ghosts.

He smirked, as the bag looked very, very appealing to him.

"Is this the definition of " _badass_ "…?" He murmured, throwing the bag over his shoulder.

It was already decided.

This was the one he wanted.

* * *

Arthur's week drifted by almost without notice.

Just an average school week, plagued by abnormalities - some normal to Arthur, others completely new.

He did his best to trudge along, even with the wary gazes of his peers. The words of the misinformed. The thoughts of the misguided. Ichisake, Ren, and Ann were the only people at school who gave him the time of day, and it was those three he spent a lot of time with.

He never left Ichisake for long, as Ren and Ann had their own group of friends that included some blond boy who usually looked like he was up to no good. Ichisake was happy that Arthur made new friends but didn't often discuss it. Lately, for the whole week, he was discussing how he had actually gotten into the A.V. club and, despite the fact the club members were wary of Ichisake's known friendship with Arthur, they actually treated him like one of their own.

Arthur didn't have the heart to tell him, but it was most likely because they were scared of Ichisake due to his ties with Arthur.

Ren and Ann occasionally dropped by Arthur to talk with him and see how he's been getting on. Ren always brought his cat, and Ann would sometimes invite Arthur out as she knew he didn't get out much. But Arthur only accepted the idea once before and not a second time, he didn't want to make her pay for anything and he was flat broke at this point. Ann, understanding the manners he was raised with, wouldn't pressure him. But would always tell him that her paying isn't an issue.

When the school changed into summer uniforms, Arthur nearly had a heart attack. He wasn't provided with the summer uniform - a uniform that was only really different by way of a white polo shirt with Shujin's logo over where the heart would be - when he started. Himura had to go to the school and pick one up for a good amount of yen. Money Arthur wasn't so sure Himura needed to be spending…

Lately, Arthur has been catching Himura on the phone with people. People whose identity Himura wouldn't expose. He'd just claim they are his " _accountants_ " of sorts and drop the issue. He even claimed the guy who dropped by the other day was an employee of his main " _accountant_ ". Arthur thought the use of the word was strange, especially when relating to the obvious nature of a thug that guy reeked of.

Sometimes when Arthur slept, or tried to, he would overhear Himura in the living room, practically begging over the phone for " _more time_ " and to " _leave everyone else_ _out of it_ ". Nights where he overheard that were definitely not pleasant. Arthur couldn't wrap his mind around it at the moment, but something was definitely off. He couldn't question him about it straightforwardly, so all he could do was listen and put the pieces together himself.

Pieces he barely had to begin with.

Those same nights, when he slept, did not fare him any better than his waking moments. The nightmares have begun to get more vivid, more horrific. He could barely remember them when either they would force him awake or he awoke on his own terms, but one thing remained the same: He would be drenched in sweat, and soiled in tears.

Sometimes he stayed awake until two in the morning, dreading another horrific night, but Arthur's realist side showed here. He knew that if he deprived himself of sleep simply out of fear, it would only hurt him more than if he were to sleep. He knew that nightmares were temporary, but his grades would be permanent. But it still didn't help ease his worries about the dreadful nights.

But one dream he remembered well, and thought on it sometimes throughout the week when he was home alone.

Something that had occurred quite often, with Himura's only scheduled day off being next Monday. His first actual day off since Arthur arrived in the country.

This dream. He remembered every occurrence of it. Initially he shook it off as a freak thing, but now something inside him told him to listen and follow through what the dream told him.

This dream was of the bizarre old man, Igor.

Igor, and _his_ Velvet Room.

His demands of Arthur to find the Phantom Thieves.

His words of " _salvation_ ", a concept Arthur couldn't wrap his head around.

The fate Arthur had, the one Igor said was horrible.

What did it all mean in the end?

Arthur wasn't one to pay credence to dreams as he more often than not had nightmares of varying scope and size. Paying credibility to those would've spelled his end long ago. An end into true insanity and possibly even paranoia.

But Igor's appearances were different, and Arthur could feel that.

With that in mind, he did a little studying throughout the week. Studying he told no one of, not even Ichisake.

He looked over more in depth news reports of the Kamoshida case, learned the names of the victims and the students who were openly exposed to be his enemies.

Ren Amamiya was one of them.

That revelation partially shocked Arthur, but when he thought back to previous conversations with him he remembered that Ren had mentioned something about him standing up to Kamoshida, hence why Makoto was apparently watching his every move for some inapparent reason.

He studied the Madarame calling card that was sent a while back, but nothing new came about the late-night research that was dumped into this.

The most incriminating thing that gave rise to the idea that Phantom Thieves were indeed a real organization was the _Phantom Aficionado Website_. A forum where people praised, talked, and requested things from the Phantom Thieves. Changes of heart and the like. Run by an unknown source, possibly the Phantom Thieves themselves. There was even a post from a while back, when the website was first opened, of the owner gloating and bragging about the Phantom Thieves victory over Kamoshida.

The responses varied on this. From praise to negative theories and insults that seemed to have slipped under the radar. There even seemed to be a couple of users who threw around racial slurs at others who chose to comment that also seemed to have gone unnoticed from the noticeably thorough moderator.

Friday evening, Arthur began to compile the information he gathered. If he was going to find the Phantom Thieves, he would need to start by pinpointing their location. He was no detective by any means but he felt that, with the information he had, he could at least give himself a rough idea of where they acted.

Of course, it didn't surprise him at all that Shujin Academy was his conclusion. It was the only logical idea. Their activity began around the teacher named Kamoshida and the owner of the website was bragging about said incident. There even seemed to be posts from students of Shujin thanking the Phantom Thieves for handling their problems as well.

Arthur was confident Shujin Academy was the base location for the Phantom Thieves, but now?

Step one was out of the way.

Besides proving his conclusion correct, he also needed to actually identify them.

That wasn't going to be easy by any means, and Arthur knew it.

But, as he researched all of this, he began to find himself more and more intrigued.

Not by the fact there was an elusive organization at his school, but also the supernatural and occult means behind all of this.

Saturday evening, when he was staring at his laptop and going through the Phan-Site's posts - which were comprising mostly of people cheering or jeering the Phantom Thieves for targeting Madarame - he couldn't keep himself from wondering:

"Who are they really?" He asked himself quietly. "What do they want?"

He stopped himself, casting an unsure glance to his hands as he thought up a new question. One that seemed equally important, but also went as unanswered as the other two.

"More importantly…. Why do I need to be looking for them?"

The night drifted from there.

And he awoke to a Sunday morning.

June fifth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Proof read and edited by a friend named Frozen Foe on my Discord server.
> 
> Another extra long one that sets up the next chapters really well. I promised a chapter that would be divided into two parts and I intend to make good on that promise, but not on this update. All of this was to be in the two-parter, but after looking at it and realizing that none of it really had to do with what the two-parter is going to be about, I decided to cut it and make it it's own chapter. A nice introduction to Maruki, some good Ren-Arthur interaction and some bonding, and a good set up for the conflict that will inevitably erupt between Makoto and Arthur.
> 
> A battle of the minds, as it will be. :3
> 
> We're also gonna start diving into Arthur's nightmares and past more. So be prepared to feel some stuff, because it's gonna get heavy.
> 
> Sorry it took longer than a week for a chapter that isn't going to be a two-parter. Really bad stuff has happened lately in my RL that has finally passed and allowed me to work again. I'll also be starting a job, temporary as it is, on this coming Monday and it will limit my time. Plus I'm running a modding team that has shifted to a new project after the success of our last one. Chapters will come out much more slowly now, but they will come out. Patience is a requirement.
> 
> I hope you all enjoyed! This next chapter is gonna be a special chapter, literally. Not a Gaiden, but a special one that will be divided into two parts. Look forward to it.


	11. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "The time has come. The change of heart will occur. Arthur will witness it. Their existence shall be proven. Doubt will become certainty. Indecision? Action."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y'all thought I was dead, didn't ya?
> 
> Nope. Just very preoccupied in my real life. A lot of stuff happened around November of last year, which is when I began to maintain a steady radio silence. Personal life issues, financial issues, relationship issues, mental issues, and employment issues - all of which persist even now. I even got kicked out of my home and am currently living with a roommate (Who is just the best. Shoutout to her! :3)
> 
> But, with every bad comes a good. I recently started going to church and reconnected with a good friend from High school in doing so, I am no longer living under a tyrannical psychopath, I've reconnected with my grandfather, I've made new animal friends, I've been learning Czech, and more. :D
> 
> I was down for a while, but just recently I decided to pick this back up alongside my modding. I am going to find a decent balance between all of this, and try to continue the story of dear Arthur Frederick Williams.
> 
> I will not lie, I believe this forced hiatus may have afflicted my writing negatively, but that is for you to decide! I rather like what occurred in this 10k word chapter, I think it's a nice reintroduction to the story while also advancing the plot and relationships...among other things.
> 
> Also, I HEAVILY advise you go back and re-read (or skim) the story up to this point if you feel that you do not remember the plot or where we left off. Such a long time in between chapters is bound to form cobwebs in your memory.
> 
> Without further adieu, enjoy the read!

The afternoon was a beautiful, sunny one.

A nice warm feeling from a bright, everpresent sun sitting high in the sky.

People were going to and fro on the streets of Tokyo. More specifically, Shibuya.

Arthur was there, in a bright red and white t-shirt he bought from the underground mall and a black pair of pants, and so was Ichisake, wearing jeans and an orange jacket that seemed to be just for show while also sporting a black fisherman's cap. They were enjoying their Sunday afternoon going about the city and seeing the shops and sights that Arthur had been wanting to see.

Some people, more specifically young people, stopped and looked at Arthur when he passed. They began whispering, and their whispers did not fall upon deaf ears. Arthur heard them, and came to a quick deduction that they were Shujin students. Of course, Arthur had nothing to base this off of. Perhaps they were just surprised to see a young American strolling the streets as if he belonged. Or perhaps they just liked his clothes.

Ichisake didn't seem to care, though. He was busy sipping at some coffee he and Arthur purchased at a coffee shop down the way a bit.

Arthur had one too, and it chilled him to the bone, enough to where there was a nice balance between hot and cold, mild and chilly within his core. If it wasn't for the sun, he would no doubt be shivering by now.

Arthur had spent his morning at home, and was content on staying that way. He had no reason to go out and even though he was excited in the past for this trip, it wasn't really to get out and see the land of the rising sun, but instead to get away from his problems in the home country.

Problems that followed him here.

But Ichisake had changed that. He called Arthur around noon, while Arthur was actually reading up on an article about the artist Madarame and his past works, and during that phone call he practically strongarmed the young American into going out. Promising coffee, fun times, and maybe even a girlfriend as a reward.

Arthur snickered at this, and even now it was a funny thought. Ichisake was recently starting to joke about Arthur's single status, despite his own lack of a companion.

He also promised to buy Arthur a razor to shave off the growing facial hair above his lips. He called him ugly over the phone, to which Arthur couldn't help but agree and the two shared a nice giggle.

They were walking about an area near Station Square, a place that had a happening coffee shop similar to the Stardoe's back in the home country that Arthur was used to. Ichisake claimed it to be great, and he did not lie. Arthur was enjoying it - a nice, silky iced coffee that flowed like water between his lips - and he was enjoying his time with Ichisake.

It was certainly better than sitting at home, at any rate. It didn't matter in the end what Arthur was doing. He was in Japan. He knew he needed to take advantage of that, but the thing is? He didn't exactly know how.

"So where are we going now?" Arthur asked his friend, wary of bumping shoulders with the many people passing by the two on their little walk. The sidewalk was crowded, more so

than the street. Tokyo traffic was a myth true and true.

"Hmmm." Ichisake hummed, taking a deep swig of his coffee. "Good question." He smiled as he trotted along, not daring a glance at Arthur who shot an incredulous look his way.

"Huh…?" Arthur grunted, not sure if he had heard that right. "We…. We don't have a destination? It's, like, three…"

"What, you don't wanna go on a nice walk with your bud?" Ichisake chirped, swiveling around on his heels to look at Arthur. "We got coffee, we got the day off. Let's just see where the day takes us, my main man! You gotta get outta that damn apartment sometime, or are all American shut-ins like you?"

Arthur stopped in place a moment and looked at his friend, not really finding a way to respond to what has been said. Ichisake stopped as well, grinning and showing off his braces to all who wished to see. The young American shook his head, and he picked up his pace once more as he passed Ichisake.

"Well, regardless." Arthur said, keeping his eyes ahead of himself as he walked. "There is a place I'd like to stop off at some point soon."

"Oh yeah?" Ichisake piped up, jogging to catch up with the American. "And where would that be?" He asked quizzically.

"Arthur?" Someone nearby called out, stopping the duo in their tracks. Despite the noise of the Tokyo street, the callout of an American name was clearer than all the noisy music and people around them. Ichisake didn't recognize the voice at first, and simply looked around idly as he tried to spy the owner of the rather feminine voice.

Arthur recognized it almost immediately however, and he smiled subtly as he turned about, eyeing the approach of a young, blonde woman in a black tank top, blue denim shorts that actually looked to have been cut from a pair of jeans, and red sneakers.

"Uh? Did someone…?" Ichisake mumbled, not able to find the source of the voice.

"Ann! What a pleasant surprise." Arthur called back out to her, surprising Ichisake even more as he turned to spot who Arthur was referring to.

"Huh….?" Ichisake grunted, unsure of what to make of Ann's sudden presence.

"I thought that was you, Arthur, but I wasn't so sure. There's so many people around here…" Ann said, coming to a stop before the two young men. Arthur grinned, and nodded as he looked around the large crowd of people going to and fro.

"T-Takamaki-san?" Ichisake stuttered, surprised to see her.

"Yes, I suppose it is a bit difficult to recognize any one person within this large group of people." Arthur chuckled. "But with your looks, someone'd have to be blind not to be able to spot you."

Ann giggled, not at Arthur's assessment, but rather the way he said it. "That's a lot of words, there." She smiled at him, causing Arthur's grin to widen. She turned and glanced at Ichisake, flashing him a very friendly smile. "Oh, hi Miyara-senpai!"

"Uh, hey Takamaki-san." He greeted her, surprised she was approaching the two so openly. "Out for a stroll, are you?" He asked, regaining the composure that was jolted by her sudden presence..

Ann suddenly frowned. "Actually, I was just coming back from seeing a friend of mine." She said, causing Ichisake to flinch as he realized who she was referring to. He then looked at Arthur, who didn't seem perturbed by the situation.

"Ah, yeah…" Ichisake slowly said, scratching the back of his head. "Sorry…. How's she doing, Takamaki-san?" The young man asked her, sipping at his coffee as Ann quietly held her arm close in response to the question. "I, er, haven't heard anything… N-not that I knew her, it's just the whole thing….. I'll just shut up."

"Hmm?" Arthur hummed, curious as to what Ichisake meant.

"She's good, Miyara-senpai." She quietly smiled, amused by his stammering. "I suppose you don't know, but she has regained consciousness." She added, the discomfort of question alleviating itself with the mention of her recovery.

"Consciousness…?" Arthur asked, arching a brow at the ramifications of the word.  
"Tha-that's good to hear, Takamaki-san!" Ichisake quickly beamed, delighted by the news. "Last I heard she was still in critical condition…"

"Not anymore!" Ann joined him in his glee, raising her arms up in her own display of excitement. "She's still bedridden, though. It will be awhile befo-"

"Pardon my interruption…" Arthur interjected, not quite understanding what was going on before him. "But… What do you mean by " _She regained consciousness"_? Who is " _She"_? What happened to her?"

The two went silent, glancing over at Arthur a moment before landing their eyes on one another. Arthur looked between them, and noted how Ann's eyes suddenly shrank, and she looked to the sidewalk as the glee she and Ichisake were sharing suddenly evaporated in the awkward silence.

Ichisake shook his head and clicked his tongue and pocketed a hand as he looked back towards the befuddled American.

"Oh… You… You don't know?" Ichisake quietly asked, uncertain if Ann wanted him to know.

Arthur looked at him, unsure of how to proceed.

"I mean… No?"

"Ah… I suppose that makes sense…" Ichisake nodded, shifting his gaze over at Ann a brief moment before sighing and shaking his head. "You did arrive after that whole nonsense, after all. No one else would want to tell you, either..."

"You remember when I told you, Arthur, that someone else suffered for my cowardice?" Ann suddenly spoke up, catching the swift attention of both boys. "Someone very close to me...?" She deadpanned, making direct eye contact with the American.

Arthur maintained the eye contact, unsure of what to say or how to react. She seemed so serious. Her glee was gone. Her eyes looked sullen, yet before they were vibrant and hopeful. In mere moments, the jubilant Ann that Arthur had come to know so far was absent.

All that was left was an alien personality that said one thing:

" _I will never forgive. Never._ "

Arthur opened his mouth to speak, but couldn't find any words. He was either deaf to himself, or mute to the others. Ichisake was watching him at this point now, too. Not with confusion or surprise, but instead he was expecting Arthur to say something. Indeed, even Ann was waiting for his response. The sharp wit that Arthur had demonstrated to both of them so far had given them expectations, and he was failing to meet them this very second.

He thought hard, trying to remember his past conversations with her.

Trying to remember anything to give him a clue as to what she was speaking of.

But Ichisake decided the silence was awkward enough and had persisted for far too long. He shook his head, grabbing Arthur by his shoulder and jolting him from his deep thought.

"Uh…. Well… I'd say if we're gonna inform him on it, Takamaki-san, we should do it in a nice venue. Perhaps a place where calm heads will prevail…. I'm also rather hungry as it is. Are you hungry, Takamaki-san?" Ichisake asked, trying his best to smile for the two and bring the conversation back to the realm of happy thoughts. "I'm buying."

Ann arched a single brow, turning her gaze on him for a moment of uneasy silence. His offer seemed odd to her. After all, she barely knew Ichisake. The same could really be said for Arthur, but with Arthur she was already on a first name basis with him, Ichisake not so much.

Not to mention the similarities between the two regarded her more towards Arthur than it did with Ichisake.

She was inclined to refuse his offer on that idea alone, but suddenly her stomach began to gurgle. Then, from that discomfort arose a rather serious rumble, catching the two boys off guard as it roared voraciously and echoed in their ears.

She blushed, holding her stomach as she realized she had not eaten anything at all today.

Then, with a quick turnaround in her mind, she smiled sheepishly. "Yeah. Sure."

* * *

Station Square wasn't a far walk for the trio, but it was spent mostly in awkward silence. Ann did her best to keep up with her American friend as Ichisake led the way. Secretly, although Arthur wasn't fighting it, he was hoping it wasn't anything to do with fast food. Ichisake seemed the type to overindulge... And Ann?

Their last encounter spoke volumes of her intake.

The square seemed unusually crowded for a day like this. A Sunday, bright and sunny like many others before it, and yet people were crowded like it was no one's business.

There even seemed to be an abundance of police officers around, lingering at the edges of the crowds and sticking together like glue. They were muttering to themselves, and watched everyone like a hawk looking for prey.

One even seemed to be sweating, and her knees seemed to have gradually been losing the strength to stand.

Arthur scrunched his brows, unsure of what was about to happen. But this behavior seemed to indicate wariness, but also a surprise that Arthur and Ann seemed to both share.

"What's with the large crowd…?" Ann stopped to ask, looking over to Arthur as if he had an answer.

"There's police here too…" He noted aloud, attempting to mentally discern the ramifications of their presence. "This doesn't seem like a protest or anything, and those officers do not seem to be packing heavy equipment…" Arthur stopped next to her, taking a small step forward in an effort to protect her if something startled the crowd. "Regardless, whatever's about to go down, we should vacate immediately."

"Agreed." She said, quickly speeding up her pace to attempt to match Ichisake's, who seemed not to have realized the gravity weighing on the square he had walked clearly by without a second thought. "I know I've probably said this before, but you're very sharp… Like, I mean, you're too smart for your own good." She mumbled to him.

Arthur chuckled, shaking his head as he tried to keep up with her power walk.

"And you walk fast. Faster than me, and Ichisake complains about that." Arthur said, doing his best to catch up with the young blond woman. "Everyone has one God-given talent, I suppose." He added under his breath, causing Ann to chuckle at his assessment. She quickly slowed her pace for him, glancing over her shoulder as he sped-walked up to her.

She giggled once more, and almost immediately after - as if on cue - Ichisake called out to them.

"Come on, guys! It's over here!" He waved over to them, catching the concerned eye from a few passing adults. Ann and Arthur stopped, casting their gazes over at the young man, who had gotten ahead of them rather fast with almost no effort. Behind him, at the end of their sidewalk, sat a small building with a sign that was written in poor Japanese kanji, indicating it as a Polish restaurant named " _Poland's Roadhouse Shazam_ ".

The two didn't move, surprised that both a restaurant like this even existed so close to Station Square and Central Street in general and that the name was just so poorly chosen, and looked even worse in written form.

At least Arthur felt that way, but Ann's unsure reaction gave him all the ammo he needed to easily understand what was roaming in her mind.

"Huh…" Ann said, slowly stepping forward.

Meanwhile, Arthur muttered under his breath, with a suddenly amused smile.

"Guess his talent is knowing the city…"

* * *

The trio had taken their seats at Ichisake's behest and spent a good while just getting a grasp of the situation. The restaurant had both indoor and outdoor seating, and the two boys - both harboring a sentiment of chivalry within their mannerisms - deferred the options to Ann. She didn't hesitate, with the nice sunny weather above, to choose the outdoor seating. Arthur was fine with it, and Ichisake seemed mildly annoyed but went along with it anyways.

The green and white building sported the flag of the Republic of Poland flying high above the outdoor patio and coupled with Japan's Hinomaru. Everything looked to have a slavic design to it, from the mats beneath the tables to the chairs and umbrellas. It all looked completely foreign to Arthur, who was moreso interested in Japanese styling than that of the Slavs. Ann especially seemed out of her element, as she looked a little perturbed by it all. Even going so far as to call the designs on the umbrellas a little out of her taste.

Ichisake, judging by the way he looked at her when she called them " _edgy"_ , seemed to have taken personal offense. He didn't say anything though.

Few people were sitting on the patio, and even fewer employees were to be found. But everything looked clean, nice, organized, and there was a faint smell outside that really stirred something in Arthur's stomach.

Situated across the street was a large big-screen situated on a large building, unobstructed so that it may be seen from any distance in any direction but behind. People were gathered across the street, just like down the street at Station Square, and the police had responded here as well.

It all struck Arthur as odd, and he felt a semblance of unease as he beheld the large gathering of people.

A waitress came by, looking very foreign to all three adolescents sitting before her. She was a petite young woman, wearing a white t-shirt with a Polish symbol emblazoned above the left breast and black shorts under a black skirt with high heels, giving the impression that this was a high-end establishment. She looked to be young, and if Arthur had to guess, she was probably a year younger than him. She sported a bald scalp - to which Arthur couldn't tell if she was naturally bald or if she had a serious, underlying issue - with red lips and bright hazel eyes, an accent that marked her as a native slav and a complete foreigner, and she sealed the deal by speaking in both Czech and Japanese where appropriate.

" _Pozdravy, přátelé!_ Welcome to Poland's Roadhouse Shazam. My name is Viktorie and I'll be your server today. Here are your menus, and if you have any questions just flag me down and I'll be happy to help!" She said in a very bright voice, almost giving off the vibes that this wasn't rehearsed.

Arthur smiled as she spoke, finding the fluency she had in both languages refreshing and also wondered if she was fluent in English. There was also a certain melody that he enjoyed with the Czech language that her soft voice played very well.

Arthur himself had a very basic understanding in the Czech language because of a ne'er-do-well friend back in the US, who was the son of immigrants much like Arthur. Basic greetings, phrases, and explaining that he knew little of their language was to the extent of his knowledge, and he decided to surprise her and perhaps even make her day.

" _Ahoj, jak se máš?_ " He greeted her, causing both Ann and Ichisake to dart startled stares at him.

The waitress named Viktorie seemingly was as startled as them and froze for a moment, not sure if she actually heard him correctly. She looked at him, and when it finally dawned on her that he was speaking the language of her homeland. She very quickly got excited.

"Ahhh, _Jsi Čech? Nevypadáš na to…_ " She asked him. Arthur, however, actually understood very little of it. But regardless, he thought quickly of how to respond and chose one of the few long phrases he knew, one explaining that he speaks little of the Czech language.

" _Americký. Mluvím trochu česky. Promiňte._ "

Ann glanced at Ichisake, not understanding what was going on. But Ichisake didn't notice, he was too busy wide-jawing at the exchange going on before him.

"Ah, ah… American." She said in Japanese this time, still smiling and surprised that he even knew the basic phrases he offered her. Arthur could see her that her excitement had faded slightly.

" _Otázka. Mluvit anglicky?"_ He asked, unsure exactly of how to pronounce the word " _Speak_ " and " _Question_ " in Czech, but she seemed to have understood well enough what he was saying.

"No, I don't speak English." She answered him again in Japanese, shaking her head but maintaining a genuine smile, knowing this was probably the only real way they could communicate. Arthur nodded, smiling as well.

"Well, that's a tad too bad then. Hopefully I made your day!" Arthur flashed a toothy smile at her, to which she nodded as a response.

"I've been here four years. I've yet to meet someone who can even remotely speak the mother tongue." She explained, her customer service smile already having curled into a large genuine grin. She cut her eyes briefly to the ground a moment before chuckling and extending a hand towards him. "I'm… I'm Viktorie Fišerová." She stumbled.

Meanwhile, Arthur's friends just continued to stare, with Ichisake's jaw almost hitting the table with the situation unfolding before them.

"I'm Arthur. Arthur Williams." He shook her hand, surprising her with the grip he had developed over his life.

" _Potěšení, Artur._ " She said as she retracted her hand, her warm smile remaining firmly in place. She then paused, remembering that Arthur had friends with him. Casting a glance to Ann and Ichisake, Viktorie quickly caught herself and stammered in place a moment before deciding it was appropriate to leave them be. "I'll, uh, give you all a while. Take your time." She said, coughing into her hand before shuffling away, embarrassed.

"Alright then…" Arthur said, as if he did not understand what had just happened. Clicking his tongue, and ignoring the stares from his friends, he looked over at the slack-jawed young man. "Well, Ichisake, you brought us here… What do you recommend?" He asked, opening the green menu before him.

"Excuse-the-fuck-me?" Ichisake said, catching even Ann off guard with the sudden vulgarity. "She was basically flirting with you there, and you just brush it off?! **What** , _**hello?**_ " Ichisake looked serious, and Arthur slowly sat his menu down as he looked at the belligerent young man. "I mean, goddamn man!"

"Uh… what?" Arthur asked, not entirely understanding what Ichisake was going on about.

"Err…" Ann interjected, slowly turning her gaze on Arthur. "I guess I kinda have to agree with Miyara-senpai here… She had a lot going for her there, did you just not see those signals?"

"Huh….?" Arthur looked at her, not entirely understanding what she was saying. "Signals…?"

"I mean, yeah, she was bald, but she wasn't bad looking!" Ichisake piped up, garnering a slightly disgusted look from Ann with his crass assessment. "And a foreigner, too! You guys have a lot in common. What the hell, man?"

"I'm not entirely…." Arthur began murmuring to the two, still unsure of what the whole fuss was.

"Hold on, another thing." Ichisake said, stopping him with a risen finger. "What the hell's up with the Polish? I thought you were Irish?" He added.

Arthur looked at him a moment, unsure if he was truly perturbed, slightly disappointed or even just joking. Regardless, it mattered little. He could only see a real surprised look dominating his friend's face.

Ann scoffed at Ichisake for a moment, still stuck on his assessment of the young Czech woman's beauty before silently agreeing with him on the idea Arthur knew the Polish language. Then, she rose a brow, not even knowing he was Irish.

"Irish…?" She asked, surprised. Both men ignored her.

Arthur, finding a sudden amusement by the two and finally understanding what they were on about earlier, looked smirked and sat his menu down finally, shaking his head as he opted to correct the both of them. "First of all, Ichisake, that was not Polish. It was Czech. Similar, but not the same. She was Czech, not Polish." He explained, all while Ann and Ichisake silently listened. "Second, I'm not fluent in it. I just know some basic phrases and pronunciations. I, uh, was well connected back in the home country. When I recognized her obvious native language, I chose to speak it using what little I knew to give her a smile. These small things can really make someone else's day." Arthur said, causing Ann to smile at the good-natured move he had made.

"That was nice of you, actually." Ann piped up, to which Arthur nodded a thank you towards her. "But I still felt it was kind of an unnecessary flex, I mean…." Ann said, giving a slight rise to her brow as she spoke, unsure if he was speaking the entire truth there.

"Was it? I mean, I just prefer to make others happy where possible and within my capabilities, so…" Arthur shook her off, bringing the menu back up to his eyes. Ann and Ichisake exchanged glances for a moment before she shrugged and turned away. Ichisake wasn't keen on giving this up, though.

"Are we just gonna ignore the fact that he seemed oblivious to the-" Ichisake began, looking at Ann for confirmation, but she didn't even look at him. Instead, she began scanning the menu before her just as Arthur had begun doing. Ichisake, defeated, just sunk in his seat and quickly muttered "You know what, forget it. He'll fucking figure it out."

"So sharp, except for where it counts it seems…" Ann added, having been listening to Ichisake the whole time. Ichisake, disappointed in his close friend, simply muttered a curse before pulling out his phone.

Arthur didn't take notice, however. He was busy perusing the menu before him. Everything on there was in two dialects, Polish and Japanese. Many pictures of the cuisines and descriptions littered the menu in a neat format that Arthur really didn't expect.

Especially out of a place that he never even heard of before.

Looking at the prices, he was surprised to see that most of the dishes cost a stark four thousand yen or more, but it seemed they also accepted Polish złoty. A little disclaimer even said they would exchange the currency for yen. He glanced up at Ichisake, who didn't seem concerned to even read the menu.

But, considering he knew of the place, it was probably fair to assume he knew what he wanted already.

"This seems rather pricey, Ichisake..." Arthur lowly said, not even eliciting a reaction from the young man. Even Ann agreed, sucking in air as she looked at one of the lunch " _deals_ ".

"Yikes, this is _**six thousand and five hundred-fifty!**_ " She yelped, gulping as the price even seemed steep for her. "Miyara-senpai…"

"Relax, you two." Ichisake said, pocketting his phone and stretching his arms outwards. "I told you once already, Arthur, my parents are police officers. They get some hefty checks. That and my father was a member of the S.D.F. So, he gets some income from that as well. Bottom line, price isn't an issue…"

"They just don't care that you are spending a fortune here?" Arthur asked, unfamiliar with even the basis of that concept. Ichisake nodded a confirmation, which itself elicited a surprised blink from Arthur.

"Well, either way, Miyara-senpai… I can't make you pay for my meal. That's just too expensive…"

"Relax, Takamaki-san." Ichisake flashed her a smile, revealing the shiny braces on his crooked teeth. "It's the least I can do since you've been giving my buddy a chance. Something the other students aren't keen on doing." He added, to which Ann nodded and smiled. "How did y'all even become friends though?" He asked, unsure of the exact relationship between the two.

He paused, an evil thought entering his mind. Flashing his eyes between the two, a sly grin formed with a small, scary chuckle as he jokingly asked "Oh… Is theeeerrrrre _somethiiiiing_ elssssse going on?" He asked, raising a brow and going "Eh, _**eh**_?".

That was enough to give both Ann and Arthur an immediate pause.

"W- _ **what**_?!" Ann suddenly blurted out, surprised Ichisake even asked the question. "W-what do you mean by _**that?!**_ " She asked, giving Ichisake a good chuckle as the young blond's cheeks flushed a cherry red, and her loud voice attracted the attention of passersby, members of the crowd from afar, and even Viktorie, who stood by the front doors attending to another customer.

"No, Ichisake." Arthur sighed as he shrunk in his seat and slammed his eyes shut, basically condemning his joke. "We're just friends. Neither of us are interested in the other, of that I can assure you."

"Yes, exactly! That's all we are!" Ann quickly joined in, narrowing her eyes on Ichisake with her cheeks the color of fury. "Just friends! Nothing more! Friends only!"

Ichisake, amused by his own antics and even more with Ann's almost unreasonable reaction, guffawed almost to the point of choking on his own lack of air and a face colored like a ripe tomato. The spectacle caught the continued attention of the nearby passersby and staff, and at one point throughout the laughter a nearby woman with a laptop simply shut her computer down and immediately vacated. An annoyed look plastered on her face.

It took him a few moments, but when he finally regained the ability to breath normally - at this point Ann's cheeks had calmed and Arthur's annoyance had subsided - he steadily breathed out "Relax, Takamaki-san, it's just a joke." He then looked to Arthur, who was deadpanning at him still. "Does… does she get this flustered all the time?" He asked, still suffering from a decent lack of air.

"Drop it!" She demanded. Ichisake, deciding enough was enough, quickly raised his hands up and complied, still chuckling and grinning at his own jab.

Arthur just sighed and looked back at the menu he held, still doing his best to decide on what he wanted. Ann did the same, still blushing at the idea of even having a crush on Arthur. To her, it was unrealistic. She barely even knew him.

While they all sat there in a continued silence, Ichisake continued to mull over his previous question, darting his eyes between the indecisive duo sitting with him. Eventually, when it seemed that Ann had calmed herself to see reason, he voiced his previous question aloud.

"So, in all seriousness, how did this friendship bloom?" He asked.

Ann, still annoyed at his crude joke from earlier, shot a brusque glance his way. "We just realized we both had a lot in common, is all."

Arthur nodded a confirmation, still browsing the menu before him.

"Mmm, well. I'm happy to hear that. This guy really deserves it after the unfair situation he found himself in here…" Ichisake smiled, happy to know that at least one other person was treating Arthur well. "As for you, Takamaki-san, I would like to offer my congratulations to Suzui-chan if you wouldn't mind passing it along." He added, eliciting a warm smile from Ann. She nodded, and Arthur quickly glanced up from his menu and met her eyes.

"OK, I hate to be nosy. But this was Ichisake's idea after all…" He said, closing the menu and laying it flat before him. "What's the situation, exactly, with your friend, errrrr, S-Suzui-san?" Arthur asked, unsure of how to exactly pronounce her name. "Is-is that her name?"

"Yeah…" Ann solemnly said, her smile slowly fading.

Arthur, noticing the sudden change, relented his decision to even pry and attempted to retract his question. "I'm sorry, I-err, I'm just curious is all. We don't have to talk about it…"

"No, man." Ichisake interjected, leaning back in his seat as he answered for Ann, who actually did not seem to mind it. "How much do you know of the whole… Kamoshida business?" He asked, even though he already knew the answer.

Ann watched Arthur, curious as well to how much he really knew.

"Er…" He hummed, knowing that he had already given the answer to his friend before. "I know he was a teacher… He abused some students, got others in trouble…" He listed off, glancing over at Ann as he spoke. "Tried to get you to sleep with him… From what I heard, he's as detestable as they come."

"Yes, but…" Ichisake started.

"You don't know what he did my friend, Shiho… Do you?" Ann interrupted Ichisake, her voice sunken once again. It seems this topic is not an easy one for her. Pausing, she closed her eyes and thought for a good moment. Arthur watched her closely, realizing quickly what Ichisake intended with the recap. "Can you take a guess?" She asked finally, her eyes still closed.

"Uh…" Arthur stammered, unsure of what to say. "A… beating?" He answered with an unsure inflection.

Ichisake bit his tongue, surprised that Arthur didn't even know. Ann slowly rose her head, opening her eyes as she looked to the clear sky above. Clicking her tongue, she remained silent for a good few moments, gathering the courage to speak it aloud.

Arthur watched, a sudden ping of guilt falling over him as he realized that - not only was he wrong - but he was forcing her to relive the experience. Whatever had happened seems to have left a terrifying mark on her, and Arthur knew all too well the pain of reliving a painful moment in life.

_All too well…_

After a few moments of silence, she brought her eyes to meet Arthur's. There, they met with eye contact. And calmly, slowly, and quietly, she uttered the only explanation he needed.

One that he wished he had never heard.

"He raped her."

Arthur froze as the words fell upon him like an anvil suspended by rope. Ann's eyes were serious, and he could even spot her lips quivering as his question brought her back to the event. Ichisake crossed his arms, lowering his head in an attempt to disassociate. He knew any joking jab he could offer could potentially, and swiftly, be met by a slap from Ann.

Arthur wasn't sure what to say, but Ann's continued observation told him that she awaited a reply. He believed he's fallen on hard times in his life, nightmares and his homelife included, but the word " _rape_ " brought with it the idea of an unsalvagable life afterwards.

Putting two and two together, he realized quickly what followed.

"So… in response… She…"

"Yes." Ann said, covering her eyes with the palm of her hand. Whether it was to hide tears, or hide her face entirely, wasn't known to Arthur. But he could hear her voice breaking. "She jumped off the roof of Shujin, but survived. She was in a coma for the longest time."

"Stop." Arthur said suddenly, reaching over the table and grabbing her shoulder. She jumped, the hand covering her eyes falling to her lap, surprised by the quick movement. Even Ichisake went wide-eyed, unsure of what to make of his actions. "There's no need to keep this going. I understand now." He added calmly and warmly.

Ann blinked, meeting Arthur's green eyes. She was indeed tearing up, and it was obvious to Arthur than any further mental commotion would cause a scene no one here wanted to see.

"I know the pain you feel, Ann. Perhaps not the _exact_ pain, but I know what it's like to feel like you've lost someone close to you. I know it all entirely too well. Stop talking and collect yourself." He told her, to which she sniffed and slowly nodded.

Letting go of her shoulder, he lowered himself back down in his seat and let his eyes fall to his lap. "Godless bastard…" He murmured, a smidgeon of anger entering his mind at the thought of Kamoshida's actions.

"And that's when the Phantom Thieves made themselves known…. Although you already knew that already…" Ichisake interjected, attempting to alleviate the tension caused by the emotion running rampant. Try as Ann might, it was clear that this memory had not yet healed, and she still had a long road ahead to recover from it.

"I see… So they took him down? The rape of Suzui-san was the tipping point, yeah?" Arthur concluded, raising a hand to his stubbly chin. "Hmph."

"Well…" Ann piped up, her voice quite shambly. "There was… there was also this thing going around school… He was going to get a few kids expelled… Uh, Ren being one of them."

Arthur looked at her, but kept quiet.

" _The Phantom Thieves…_ " Arthur thought. The name reminded him of the bizarre old man's recent words - Igor's words. His concerning words that Arthur does not know how to act on.

" _Seek the Phantom Thieves, dear Arthur. Find them, before it is too late."_

Arthur knew that understanding your target was one thing, but knowing them and locating them is another thing entirely.

He scratched his chin, the information he received kindling his interest in the Phantom Thieves once more. Nights' prior, Igor bade him to hustle up in his search, as apparently - with some evidence existing to back this up - Makoto Niijima was on the search as well, and apparently further ahead than him. However, Arthur was unsure of how to go about it.

Research does nothing when you know all there is to know online, and asking questions is difficult when you are a pariah. Ichisake only knows so much, Ann is likely in the same boat, and Ren?

Ren is an intelligent student, but he likely knows very little as well due to his equally as bad pariah status.

Then there was Makoto…

Arthur, as intelligent as he was, wasn't one to rely on chance but rather logic. He _could_ approach Makoto. He _could_ offer questions to gain insight. He _could_ snoop on her business to gain the knowledge she has. But if Makoto was as intelligent as Igor claimed she was, she would catch onto Arthur as easily as he caught on to her interrogation attempt the other day. Makoto, the enemy, was definitely not an option.

He sighed and lowered his head into the embrace of his palm, catching Ann's attention. Ichisake, however, had been noticing Arthur's visible mood for the minutes he's been in it now, and was completely unsure of what to make of it..

Arthur was back at square one, without a clear path forward to find the Phantom Thieves.

"Who did you lose?" Ann sniffed, thinking his sudden reticence and frustration stemmed from thoughts of what he had said to her.

"Huh…?" Arthur stirred, Ann's words bringing him back from the brink in the world of thought. "W-what?" He blinked, glancing between Ann and Ichisake

"You kinda zoned out there, man. You alright?" Ichisake asked, giving Arthur the realization that he had been absolutely quiet for a good few minutes at this point. "Were you thinking about-" He started, before realizing it may not have been something Arthur wanted to talk about. He remembered past instances of him trying to learn of his family life, only to be shot down with a simple brush off. "Eh, nevermind."

"Arthur?" Ann asked, looking at Arthur directly. She was very concerned about what he had said, so much so that she didn't even seem perturbed anymore by what just went down. "You… lost someone?" She asked again, cocking her head at the question she herself presented.

Arthur just looked at her, but no words came out of his mouth. Instead, he was blank. His eyes quickly sulled, almost looking distant.

Arthur slowly shook his head, denying her a true answer.

But this behavior was something that didn't go unnoticed by Ann. Frowning, she opened her mouth to speak further, but was stopped by the sudden approach of their waitress.

Pen and paper in hand, Viktorie suddenly appeared almost from thin air, and a smile was plastered on her young face. Her soft, slavic voice caught everyone's attention, and quickly jolted Arthur from his reticence.

"Have y'all made a decision?" She asked, noting the closed menus before two of them. Ann still had hers open, and hadn't actually taken the time to make a final decision.

"Uh, no. We're still deciding, sweetheart." Ichisake said, ignoring the drama that went down only moments prior. Ann, developing a fake smile to hide the tears of moments passed, confirmed Ichisake's words.

"Yeah, I don't know about Arthur here, but I'm still deciding as well."

Viktorie glanced at Arthur, who for a moment didn't exactly know how to proceed, considering that some emotion had run rampant. Nervously, he grinned and looked up at her as he slowly opened his mouth to speak.

" _Good afternoon, people of Tokyo._ " A booming voice suddenly called out, silencing many voices near and far - no less Arthur's. " _This is your anchorman, Nishihara, with Yomiuri Shimbun, coming to you live to cover an emergency press conference that concluded mere moments ago…"_

There was a sudden silence that followed, with the rumbling of the city going under with the announcement booming from ear to ear. Police began to form ranks around the crowds, breaking away from their huddled, tightly knit groups at the corners of the public. People stopped in their tracks to gaze skywards. And some vehicles seemed to have pulled off to the side so the driver and the other occupants could listen in unimpeded.

The restaurant doors opened, and as the trio glanced over to see who was leaving, they were surprised to witness even the staffing of the restaurant quickly filing out onto the patio, with some customers joining them, to listen in on the broadcast.

"Huh….?" Ichisake hummed, not quite understanding what was happening.

Arthur looked at his friend, realizing quickly that the booming voice was coming from the big screen across the street. Shifting his eyes skywards, Arthur watched as the newsman on screen shuffled papers before him as kanji writing flew about on the screen; ads and other news stories that will be covered later in the day.

" _We apologize for the inconvenience we are causing with this interruption in your regularly scheduled programs but please, bear with us. The Japanese art world is currently in a state of destabilization and shock, as around ten A.M., a national master artist - having scheduled an emergency press conference to discuss plagiarism and its effects on the art world - confessed to grievous crimes that will likely land him in prison for many, many years."_

Ann seemingly perked up for a moment with that being said, and she quickly glanced between the two boys. Neither were interested in her, as the sudden breaking story before them caught their attention complete and absolutely.

Quietly, she lowered her head. A small smirk sprouting, and a bright glint shining in her clear blue eyes.

" _For those of you who were either waiting or missed the conference, we have obtained a copy to show you all._ " The anchorman said. " _Be warned that the contents may be extremely upsetting to many of you, and we cannot be held accountable for how you react._ "

Viktorie's hands fell to her sides, and Arthur found himself further intrigued by these developments.

What was so important they had to interrupt programs, from the sounds of it, nationwide to cover this? A master artist confessing to a crime? Arthur had imagined many successful people being involved in shady business, it wasn't an uncommon conception. But even the anchorman seemed visibly troubled by what he was reading as, while he maintained a steady voice and composure, his eyes were wide and sweat seemed to be dribbling down his forehead.

Arthur huffed, wondering what the trouble actually was.

Leaning back in his seat, he watched as the video feed switched from the anchorman to a recording of an old, white haired man sitting before a plethora of microphones, with cameras sending off flashes of light before him.

Tears were streaming down his eyes.

And he seemed to be trembling in place as he cleared his throat and readied himself to shakily speak to everyone present in the recording.

It was of the master artist, Madarame.

* * *

Tears rolled down the man's cheeks, dripping from his eyes in a painful display of mental hardship.

His lips quivered as the cameras took in every second of this most embarrassing, and criminal, moment.

Flashing lights, cold studio air, salty tears. It was all a terrible combination for the elderly man named Madarame.

Voices murmured near and far in the room; worrying voices that foretold coming ruin to the man.

He knew none would immediately forgive him for what he was about to say, and in the next few hours he would see nothing but bars and concrete walls.

_If not for the rest of his life…_

He found it hard to speak, and his breathing grew more erratic as the seconds dragged on. But everyone was watching, and the areas where this was being broadcast live, the amount was doubled if not tripled.

He lowered his head in shame, clenching his eyes shut as the flashes of light blinded his weary, salty eyes.

His colleagues were watching.

His mistress.

Buyers.

Former pupils.

_Yusuke…_

He swallowed nothing but dry, stale air. Letting out nothing but a fearful whimper as he rose his head to meet the eyes of the press.

"Forgive me, Yusuke…" He mumbled as he adjusted the microphone in front of him. It did not seem to pick up his words, much to his quiet chagrin.

He then cleared his throat, quieting the spectators around him. Their voices slowly ground to a halt, and soon the room was filled with nothing but the echoing of Madarame's erratic, troubled breathing.

For a second he remained silent, breathing through his teeth as he observed everyone before him. Eyes were wide, brows were risen, and the same flashes of light from the present cameras remained a constant. Satisfied that the crowd he was going to receive was at its highest, he slowly shook his head before shakily greeting everyone.

"H-hello… T-thank you all for… for coming… I know… I really know this was last minute, but there is an a-a-announcement that I _must_ make…" Madarame stuttered out, as if afraid of some bad tidings. He sniffled, quivering in his seat as the audience watched. For a moment, lowered his head, shivering and whimpering. The microphone was catching it all.

Then, in an attempt to hide himself, he placed his head firmly in the grasp of his hands and quietly devolved into a macabre of sobs, the likes of which Arthur was only too familiar with himself.

The viewers watched, some out of pity due to his age, and others out of disgust that a grown man was acting so outlandish. But either way everyone kept silent as they allowed the elderly artist to cry into his hands. This went on for a good few moments before he quieted himself, bringing a sleeve up to his face to wipe away what tears remained before revealing himself once more to the camera.

"I… I have committed crimes that are unbecoming of an artist…" He claimed, doing his best to stifle anything that would impede his confession. "Plainly put, I, err, I plagiarized work… from people that… that are immensely more talented than I!" He admitted, slapping the table before him in a fit of despair. "From pupils that looked up to me and called me their father!" He raised his voice, as if condemning himself. "From people that have died, and people that…. Oh God…!"

Tears began streaming even more steadily from his eyes, becoming visible even on the video footage.

"A good number of them have even committed suicide because of my actions!" He added, before lowering his head at the realization of what he had just said. "They're dead! Oh God! They're dead! And it's all because of me! I've even let a friend die just so I could steal her art for my own gain!" He began yelling, slamming his eyelids shut as the tears became an impromptu waterfall. "I've stolen countless art pieces! Claimed them all as my own! Made… countless yen off of them! Me! I did it! I did it all! The rumors about me are correct and true to the very letter of honesty!" He quickly admitted, doing his best to avoid stuttering and stumbling through his sobbing reflexes.

Cameras began to flash bright lights like no other as he paused to let out countless tears and sounds of what sounded like something one would hear from a T.V. drama. People began muttering, not just in the studio, but all across the country. One could almost feel the ground shake from such a disturbance.

"I-I-I tainted this country's art world…. With my falsehood! My lies! My greed! All for the sake of my own vanity! Even " _Sayuri"_ , my most famous of " _works_ "! All lies!" He basically screeched into the microphone, sobbing all the while and flooding his podium with tears. "H-how…. H-how could I possibly….even begin….to apologize to everyone for… for…. For what I've done?! Oh God! Someone call the police! Call one-one-ten! Somebody?! **Pleeeeeeeaaaaaase**!"

He couldn't take it anymore, the despair was too much to handle, the water flowing like a river out of his eyes made it impossible to see, and the pain he found himself in for the crimes he committed and the trouble he's caused was too much on his psyche.

He might as well have been suffering a mental breakdown at this point.

He wailed and sobbed, all the while people took pictures and recorded what was being said. People called out for questions, asking for further elaboration and incriminating words, but he ignored them, and the crying…

_The crying continued._

Almost to the point where his voice was almost nonexistent - a scratchy, pained mess caused by the need to come clean all of his crimes.

If one thing was certain about all of this, however…

It was that Madarame was done.

* * *

The whole restaurant was silent.

Viktorie.

Ann.

Ichisake.

The staff and patrons.

Even Arthur.

" _...And that was from the urgent apology conference by Madarame that took place just a moment ago…_ "

Crowds began murmuring from afar, and the police remained as wary as before in the event the more bellicose members of the community decided to show their anger in force.

After all, people in the world have rioted for less.

Arthur, amazed that such a confession came from the mouth of someone so respected, so admired, so well spoken… The idea that he, a harmless looking old man, committed such atrocious crimes. Such horrible things seem to be able to be committed by anyone with the will to do so.

One of the patrons opened her mouth, snickering. "He's crying like a goddamn bitch…"

Another countered her claim. "Yeah, but after the shit he claimed he did? That should weigh on anyone's conscience. Anyone with a heart, that is."

" _On jest oszustem!_ " One of the Polish staff members announced to his co-workers, gaining mild murmurs of approval.

Arthur wished he could speak Polish, but somehow, he knew it wasn't a declaration of support.

Glancing over at Ann and Ichisake. He realized that the braced young man was still staring at the big screen as well, nothing but surprise in his eyes. Perhaps not at what had occurred, but rather what was said. While Ann smiled underneath a veil of visible pride.

"Huh…?" Arthur hummed, unsure what she had to smile about. She wasn't even looking at the big screen.

The reporter continued, shuffling the papers in his hands as he read them aloud. " _After reporting to the association, Madarame has agreed to the police's request to turn himself in._ "

"Request. Heh, more like a demand. It's likely they're getting a warrant for his arrest even now…" A patron spoke up, shaking his head at the turn of events. "Goddamn it, I really liked his work too."

"Not an art buff myself, but crime is crime. He's definitely gonna be a snack in prison." Someone else responded, snickering at his own jab.

" _Żona będzie zdenerwowana. Lubiła pracę Madarame._ " A Polish speaker spoke up, catching the attention of another staff member. They nodded, responding to them in a low tone that no one else could hear.

The reporter continued reading what was he seeing, although clearly upset at the news just as most others were. Reading off various repercussions and police activity in response to the confession. But one thing he said regarded Arthur more seriously. Enough to make him think that this was more than just a random act of a heavy heart in need of release.

" _Also, a group calling themselves the Phantom Thieves posted a dubious note at Madarame's exhibit only days ago. Police are currently investigating their relation to Madarame, but have currently not listed them as suspects."_

Arthur's brow rose, and Ann's smile seemed to have grown wider.  
"Phantom….Thieves…?" Arthur murmured.

* * *

Somewhere, in the vast city of Tokyo, on a crowded street of Shibuya, stood a well mannered young man in a blue and white, diamond patterned vest over a plain white shirt. He stood watching the screen above play out a confession that occurred merely moments ago. A glimmer in his brown eyes shined, and he placed a gloved hand on his chin in disturbed thought.

"Phantom Thieves, huh?" He murmured, scrunching an eye over the thought of these supernatural bandits.

Nearby, a young red-eyed girl with a personal stake in the business of the Phantom Thieves was watching as well, surprised that such a phenomenon had occurred once more. A dark teal coat and black leggings, she shook her head at these new developments.

"Phantom Thieves again…"

Around the corner, in Shujin-approved sweatpants and a sports bra, her hair in a ponytail and sweat dragging by her green eyes, a student out for a jog watched as the confession ended, and she found no end to the surprise blooming in her mind.

"So they are real…"

Her thoughts quickly turned to that of a troublesome American, and a stray thought regarding the idea they could help him roused in her mind.

Somewhere else, miles from Shibuya, in a desolate classroom and surrounded by papers to be graded and a diet soda, sat a cranky, old white haired man with large rimmed glasses. He was relaxing in his seat, listening to a portable radio set next to his work. A pen twirling in between his fingers, and his soda-smacked lips sounding off with the click of his tongue at the conclusion of the broadcast.

"Phantom Thieves? Seriously? What goddamn nonsense is this…?"

Elsewhere, in a large conglomerate building, high up in a lone office sat a weary man. A white polo and black slacks, sitting in a chair surrounded by paperwork from various upcoming events and even a couple resignations from his department. He had the tip of his pen in between his teeth, nervously chewing as the T.V. in the corner of his office displayed the confession.

"These guys again? What's this about…?"

Further up in the building, in a department much different from her admirer's own, in an office befitting of a manager, sat a woman with a punk haircut yet possessing a fair and friendly personality. In a black jacket, and an energy drink in hand, she watched the confession unfold on the T.V. before her.

"Huh…"

Below, in the streets of Tokyo, walked an inconspicuous individual. In a beige polo and blue jeans, and donning a tan fedora that hid his face well from passing observers, he walked alongside the passing vehicles without even offering a glance up from his phone. A cigarette burning in his mouth, and smoke billowing from between his lips, he witnessed the confession in its entirety.

It nearly caused him to stop dead in his tracks.

Frowning, he swore at the idea of these phantom highwaymen even existing in the first place.

"What sort of trickery is this…?"

Shaking his head, he walked on.

But deep in his mind, dubious thoughts regarding these, as he thought, blooming villains would not cease to tug at him.

* * *

The murmurs failed to falter all around, even to the point that it was no longer inconceivable to think that the whole city was shaking with the quiet murmurs of the populace. Even Ichisake seemed taken aback at the sudden mention of the Phantom Thieves.

"Phantom Thieves, eh?" Ichisake mumbled to himself. "Huh…" He crossed his arms.

" _The Phantom Thieves again…."_ Arthur thought, darting his eyes to the ground below. The words of a bizarre old man chambered their way into visual thought for Arthur. Even now, he could picture the old man - Igor, as he called himself - chuckling in his deep, malevolent sounding voice and demanding action be taken upon this revelation.

" _Seek the Phantom Thieves, dear Arthur."_

"The teacher, and now an artist, huh?" Viktorie murmured to herself, holding her notepad up to her chest as she gazed to the big screen beyond. "This isn't a prank… Not this time…" She told herself.

"Hey…. It's just like that calling card said… R-remember, Arthur?" Ichisake, suddenly excited, pointed at Arthur. Arthur, taken aback by the callout, jumped in place from the sudden movement. Noticed by Ichisake and Viktorie, the latter of whom giggled at Arthur's reaction, the young man added "Kind of uncanny, really…"

Arthur sat there a moment, confused as to what Ichisake was referring to before soon realizing what his meaning was. Not so very long ago did Ichisake, Ann, and Arthur share a lunch period together. It was then that a calling card addressed to Madarame was discovered and reported city-wide via various media outlets.

Arthur had actually forgotten about that, as at the time he had not taken Igor as seriously.

But situations change easily, even for the unprepared.

"No kidding…" Was all Arthur said, not taking his eyes off of the big screen above.

"I'll…" Viktorie mumbled slowly, noting everyone's change in attitude with the situation, and it seemed to Arthur that even she was shocked over what she had just witnessed. "...Give you all more time…"

She then quietly, and awkwardly, shuffled away to leave the trio alone at their table.

Ichisake watched, and clicked his tongue as he noticed the sudden change in her attitude.

"Guess she likes art." He shook his head before leaning forward on the table towards Arthur. "I don't know what to think about this shit, honestly… Real or not…? I don't know…"

Arthur, noticing the hesitation his good friend had obtained through all of the recent hysteria, smirked. He hadn't ever really gotten a proper opinion out of the young man. "You telling me you don't really think much of those Phantom Thieves?"

"I'm saying I don't know what to think." Ichisake looked up at him, deadpanning a rather serious eye that was different for him. "If they're real, cool. It seems they are doing some good stuff… But… Look around you, man." He gestured to the hysteria surrounding them, mild as it was. "This is what _they_ are causing. One time was fine and dandy, but it seems they're gonna keep on doing this… It's causing some real unneeded trouble around here. Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if they themselves caused those issues with your transfer, my friend."

"Well, we never did figure out if they are indeed what caused it," Arthur crossed his arms. "But I get it."

"Imagine if this keeps up…" Ichisake mumbled, pressing a firm hand against his cheek. "Mmm, maybe I'm just overthinking it."

Arthur nodded, understanding Ichisake's stance on the situation and even the idea of the Phantom Thieves in general. It was understandable, and not unfounded. Looking around, this very conference sparked outrage not just in the general area, but even at Station Square. Arthur could only imagine the commotion occurring elsewhere within Tokyo, and even Japan itself.

And it was _all_ caused by the Phantom Thieves.

Arthur shuddered. People in America rioted if their football team lost… So what of Japan if icons like Madarame confessed their crimes?

Arthur huffed, finding the prospect frightening indeed.

It was just then Arthur realized Ann wasn't even paying attention to the two anymore.

She was busy tapping away at her phone, smiling devilishly at whatever it was that was captivating her attention.

"Ann…?" Arthur asked her, noting the quick replies she was receiving from, what looked like, three separate people. "What part of this makes you smile?" He asked. Ichisake glanced over at her as well. He was equally confused.

"Something amazing just happened." She simply said, without even attempting a glance up from her phone.

* * *

On a steel bench sat a lone, young man.

In his early twenties, hidden under a hood and sporting a dark blue jacket, he watched the screen above as the old man named Madarame balled his eyes out in what seemed like personal trauma and regret. Lights flashed, flickered, and questions sprang into the air.

The people around him watched. Some in disgust, some in despair - for this " _master artist_ " was nothing more than a master fraud.

In his hand was a book of foreign origin, and slowly he sat it in his lap as the confession continued. It enraptured his attention, and slowly he cocked his head as Madarame demanded to be arrested by the authorities.

The Station Square of Shibuya lit up with words of varying emotion and length, and some people nearby meekly shuffled in place as their hero - their icon - fell apart at the seams.

The local police even seemed unnerved, which did little to stimulate the young man's faith in their ability to control this crowd.

This sudden confession - this " _change of heart"_ \- was enough to rock the very foundations of the capital city of Tokyo, and this young man found the intrigue enlightening.

_As if he was learning something new all over again._

The news reporter returned to visibility, and began reading obviously from a teleprompter. The young man, his interest in this suddenly fading and the feeling of his safety in this stirring crowd evaporating - deigned to leave and find a better place to read quietly. Slowly, he closed his book and marked his place with a single small insignificant card, tattooed with a bizarre design.

" _Also, a group calling themselves the Phantom Thieves posted a dubious note at Madarame's exhibit only days ago. Police are currently investigating their relation to Madarame, but have currently not listed them as suspects."_

The young man looked up, blinking at the mention of the phenomena known as the Phantom Thieves. This wasn't the first time he had heard of them, and mention of their activity always sparked interest in him.

Setting his book to the side, he stood up and took in the words of the reporter in their entirety. However, the reporter didn't mention anymore of the Phantom Thieves, and only continued with the charges Madarame was likely to face.

None of it interested him.

But the mention of these Phantom Thieves ignited a spark of curiosity in his mind, and he lowered his head with an inquisitive hum.

"Interesting…"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Proof read and edited by a friend named Frozen Foe on my Discord server.


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